Research

Our research is focused on understanding the molecular neurobiology of drug addiction and obesity, with an emphasis on developing novel therapeutics for these disorders.  We take a multidisciplinary approach that includes mouse behavioral genetics, viral-mediated gene transfer, protein and RNA biology, and we combine these techniques with complex behavioral procedures to better understand the mechanics of addiction and obesity. Current projects include understanding the role of noncoding RNAs and other epigenetic machineries in addiction, identifying the nicotinic receptor subunits that regulate tobacco dependence, investigating the role of brain reward pathways in obesity, and developing small molecule therapeutics for addiction.