Our lab works on neural circuitry of motivation and addiction. We have a particular interest in individual differences in cocaine- and opioid-seeking, and in interactions of dopamine, GABA, and serotonin systems in the brain.
Much of our work focuses on the VTA and rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) and connected areas, such as cortex, habenula, and striatum. We use a wide range of behavioral, anatomic, electrophysiological, optogenetic, and genomic approaches.
From 2010-2023, our lab was located at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Starting June 2023, the lab is located at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, in Baltimore, MD.
