We study the cellular and molecular mechanisms that cause this transition. Using animal models, we have found that prolonged exposure of the brain to cycles of alcohol intoxication and withdrawal reprograms gene expression in neurons of the frontal lobes and the amygdala. This causes the behavioral changes that are at the core of addiction, and is driven by epigenetic mechanisms that offer novel targets for medications.
The Heilig Translational Psychiatry Lab
Preclinical group
We use animal models to discover molecular and neural mechanisms that cause a progression into alcohol addiction, and to identify novel targets for pharmacological addiction treatments.
We study the cellular and molecular mechanisms that cause this transition. Using animal models, we have found that prolonged exposure of the brain to cycles of alcohol intoxication and withdrawal reprograms gene expression in neurons of the frontal lobes and the amygdala. This causes the behavioral changes that are at the core of addiction, and is driven by epigenetic mechanisms that offer novel targets for medications.