Neuroscience is a team sport, and we like to play with others! Check out these recent publications with the Tim Allen Lab at FIU, the Michaelides and Richmond Labs at NIH, and the Ostlund and Liljeholm Labs at UCI  

Check out our new paper in Journal of Neuroscience! We show that dopamine neurons play complex, and context-dependent roles in cocaine reinstatement and intake, using multiple types of DREADDs.  

Check out our new paper on an old project, in collaboration with Marci Mitchell and Kent Berridge at U Michigan! Mitchell, MR, Berridge, KC, & Mahler, SV. Endocannabinoid-enhanced “liking” in nucleus accumbens shell hedonic hotspot requires endogenous opioid signals. (2018) Cannabis & Cannabinoid Research, 3(1), 166-170. doi: 10.1089/can.2018.0021

We have finally begun to see the fruits of our hard work over the last 2.9 years here at UCI. Here are several new papers, congrats to all the authors!! Jessica Bolton & Christina Ruiz et al show effects of early life adversity on cocaine seeking Mitch Farrell et al review how we model cocaine Read More…

Blomeley, Garau, and Burdakov describe a new role for orexin recruitment of nucleus accumbens D2 dopamine neurons in avoiding risk. I had something to say about this cool paper!

Check it out

The Mahler Lab’s first research paper is out!! We are currently following up on this project by determining how adolescent cannabinoid receptor stimulation with drugs including THC affects development of brain reward circuits.

Are you an undergraduate from an underrepresented background that is interested in learning more about neural circuits underlying effects of cocaine or cannabis?  If so, apply for a prestigious, completely funded internship in Southern California for summer 2017! NIDA Summer Research Internship Program

Check them out! (Another) review on orexin: James, MH, Mahler, SV, Moorman, DE, & Aston-Jones, G. (in press). A decade of orexin/hypocretin in addiction: Where are we now? Current Topics in Behavioral Neuroscience. A role for dopamine in prefrontal-accumbens pathway mediation of cocaine relapse: McGlinchy, EM, James, MH, Mahler, SV, Pantazis, C & Aston-Jones (2016). Read More…

Check out our new paper on how to use DREADDs for behavioral neuroscience experiments, spearheaded by Berridge Lab alum Kyle Smith, and colleagues at Dartmouth Smith et al Behav Neurosci 2016 DREADD review