Stanford Reward Circuits of the Brain (RBRAIN)
Overview
Ketamine, MDMA (“ecstasy”) and methamphetamine are drugs of abuse that have steadily gained in popularity. Compared to more traditional stimulants or narcotics, however, less is known about their mode of action, their subjective effects, and how these effects promote continued use. By integrating four Research Projects led by Drs. Karl Deisseroth, Lisa Giocomo, Robert Malenka, Leanne Williams, and Brian Knutson, we aim to develop a theoretically-informed characterization of the effects of these drugs on the neurobehavior of specific circuits for processing risk and reward, the connectivity of these circuits, and how these circuits and their connectivity predict acute drug experience and drug use outcomes.
Overview
Ketamine, MDMA (“ecstasy”) and methamphetamine are drugs of abuse that have steadily gained in popularity. Compared to more traditional stimulants or narcotics, however, less is known about their mode of action, their subjective effects, and how these effects promote continued use. By integrating four Research Projects led by Drs. Karl Deisseroth, Lisa Giocomo, Robert Malenka, Leanne Williams, and Brian Knutson, we aim to develop a theoretically-informed characterization of the effects of these drugs on the neurobehavior of specific circuits for processing risk and reward, the connectivity of these circuits, and how these circuits and their connectivity predict acute drug experience and drug use outcomes.
Our Methods
We use a variety of techniques to measure brain activity.
We use a variety of techniques to measure brain activity.
RBRAIN Research Team
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Leanne Williams, PhDPrincipal Investigator
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Christina B. Young, PhDPostdoctoral Fellow -
Laura Hack, MD, PhDPostdoctoral FellowDescription -
Jake Hartley, BSClinical Research Coordinator IIDescription -
Bailey Holt-Gosselin, BSNeuroimaging Research CoordinatorDescription -
Megan Chesnut, MSNeuroimaging Research CoordinatorDescription -
Lauren Whicker, BANeuroimaging Research CoordinatorDescription
Collaborators
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Carolyn Rodriguez, MD, PhD -
Brian Knutson, PhDDescription -
Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhDDescription -
Lisa Giocomo, PhDDescription -
Robert Malenka, MD, PhDDescription -
Patricia Suppes, MD, PhDDescription -
Boris Heifets, MD, PhDDescription
Funding
RBRAIN is funded through a National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) Specialized Center (P50) grant.
Grant: P50DA042012
RBRAIN is funded through a National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) Specialized Center (P50) grant.
Grant: P50DA042012