The team studies the molecular and brain circuit mechanisms behind substance use and mood-related disorders. One area examines how calcium signaling in the brain affects behaviors related to cocaine and mood disorders. This is crucial because recent studies have linked these genes to neuropsychiatric and substance use disorders. The team aims to understand how genetics influence addiction and mental health conditions. Another research area looks at how the brain’s endocannabinoid and opioid systems interact. The team is currently testing whether targeting the endocannabinoid system can reduce the rewarding effects of opioids without affecting pain relief. Ultimately, the lab’s goal is to facilitate the development of better treatments for addiction and related conditions.
Learn more about the work our faculty are doing.
Our team investigates the mechanisms underlying persistent opioid-seeking behavior, even following extended periods of abstinence. This ongoing drug-seeking behavior may be caused by changes in the brain after long-term drug use. These changes, known as neuroadaptations, make it hard for people to fully recover from addiction. The team combines molecular biology and behavioral neuroscience to understand the mechanisms within cells that drive these maladaptive behaviors. Specifically, the lab aims to uncover the RNA and protein networks that support drug-seeking, with the ultimate goal is to find new ways to prevent relapse and help people stay drug-free for good.
Our team studies how we learn and make decisions, focusing on the brain’s control of these behaviors. The brain uses two primary control strategies: goal-directed and habitual. Goal-directed behavior involves thinking ahead about the consequences of our actions, and it’s flexible but mentally demanding. Habitual behavior happens automatically, based on past success, and is less flexible but saves mental energy. The lab explores the brain circuits that control the shift between these strategies and how factors like stress, drug use, and genetics can affect these circuits. Employing behavioral studies alongside advanced neuroimaging and optogenetic techniques, their research aims to elucidate these processes, potentially leading to insights into conditions like addiction, autism, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Our team studies how stress and the hormone corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) affect the brain's serotonin system, a key player in anxiety, depression, and drug relapse. Stress can trigger relapse in individuals recovering from substance use disorders, and the lab investigates how stress-induced disruption of serotonin may lead to negative moods that drive drug use as "self-medication. The team has found that the combined effects of stress and opioids alter serotonin neural circuits, affecting serotonin function and leading to mood disturbances and drug-seeking behavior. Current research focuses on serotonin's role in alcohol and opioid use, and the lab employs sophisticated methods to measure emotional states linked to drug-seeking behavior. They also investigate cannabinoids and immune molecules in the brain.
The Kutlu Lab studies how the brain forms connections between events and stimuli in the environment and how these connections can go wrong in diseases. They use a mix of systems neuroscience, computational, and behavioral approaches to understand how complex behaviors are represented in the brain. The lab focuses on three main goals: Understanding how the brain responds to rewarding versus negative experiences; Figuring out how memories of rewards and negative events become persistent and harmful; and investigating how organisms learn by observing and interacting with others. Through this work, they aim to better understand how the brain controls behavior and how these processes relate to conditions such as anxiety, stress disorders, autism, and substance use disorders.
Our team studies kappa opioid receptor (KOR) activators, potential pain relievers that may avoid the adverse side effects of traditional opioids. While KOR agonists can offer promise, they also cause unwanted effects like dysphoria, sedation, and hallucinations. The lab aims to elucidate the brain mechanisms underlying both the beneficial and harmful effects of KOR activators. Their research focuses on identifying KOR agonists with reduced side effects and characterizing KOR’s role in brain circuits. Utilizing advanced genetic and behavioral tools, the lab seeks to comprehensively understand KOR’s functions in the brain.
Our team studies how drugs like cocaine, opioids, and synthetic “bath salts” impact the brain. The team focuses on understanding how certain brain proteins, particularly GLT-1, play a role in substance use disorders. Their research has shown that clavulanic acid, an FDA-approved drug, can increase GLT-1 activity and reduce addiction-related effects of opioids and psychostimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine. Furthermore, the lab investigates how targeting immune molecules, such as interleukins and chemokines, can help reduce mood-related behaviors like depression and anxiety, and drug-related effects, such as physical dependence. These studies offer new insights into potential treatments for substance use disorders and related mental health conditions.
Our team studies how substance use disorders affect the brain at the cellular and molecular level. The team focuses on changes in specific brain receptors, signaling pathways, and transcription factors caused by exposure to drugs like cocaine, amphetamines, morphine, and heroin. These changes play a crucial role in the development of addiction, including tolerance, dependence, sensitization, withdrawal, and craving. Using a combination of behavioral, cellular and molecular techniques, they explore how these molecules impact addiction-related behaviors. By identifying the brain changes caused by drug use, the team aims to uncover the biological mechanisms behind addiction and develop better treatments.
Our team studies the role of cannabinoid, serotonin, and opioid receptor systems in pain and substance use disorders. Specifically, the team explores the therapeutic potential of cannabinoid-based compounds for neuropathic pain and addiction. Notably, Dr. Ward's lab was the first to demonstrate that cannabidiol (CBD), a plant-based cannabinoid, effectively prevents neuropathic pain and that combining CBD with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) enhances this effect. Utilizing behavioral, molecular, and genetic approaches, their research further examines cannabinoid-opioid interactions to reduce pain and inflammation. The team’s groundbreaking findings have led to clinical trials with hemp-derived CBD for pain relief and are contributing to the development of future treatments for brain injuries and addiction.