phd addiction neuroscience online

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Addiction Neuroscience - Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Addiction Neuroscience Ph.D.

The Ph.D. in Addiction Neuroscience is a Purdue University degree offered in the Department of Psychology.

The is intended for students interested in the behavioral and brain sciences who seek research-based careers in behavioral neuroscience and psychopharmacology. The graduate training is designed to promote a comprehensive understanding of the neural bases of behavior, with an emphasis on the behavioral neurobiology of drugs of abuse.

You will gain expertise in integrative neuroscience and learn to apply current methods of cellular and systems neuroscience to key problems of drug abuse and addiction. You’ll be prepared for a career in academia, medical neuroscience research, the pharmaceutical industry, or government research.

You’ll work closely with a faculty mentor, often in collaboration with other faculty on campus. Your studies will focus on the actions and effects of alcohol and drugs of abuse on brain function and brain development, as well as on brain mechanisms of addictive behavior. Our faculty are experts in:

• psychopharmacology and neurochemistry of alcohol and drugs of abuse
• genetic determinants of alcohol abuse
• mechanisms of alcohol-related behavior
• behavioral and neurobiological consequences of developmental exposure to drugs of abuse

Understanding your course requirements *denotes a required course

Core in Addiction Neuroscience (12 credit hours required)

• *PSY 615 - Behavioral Neuroscience (3 credits)
• *PSY-I 545 - Psychopharmacology (3 credits)
• *PSY-I 570 - Drugs of Abuse (3 credits)
• PSY-I 544 - Psychobiology of Motivation & Reward (3 credits)
• PSY 590 - Behavior Genetics & Animal Models (3 credits)

Core in Neurobiology (6 credit hours required)

• ANAT D527 - Neuroanatomy (3 credits)
• BIOL 571 - Developmental Neurobiology (3 credits)
• ANAT D526 - Methods in Cell and Neurobiology (4 credits)
• BIOC B835 - Neurochemistry (3 credits)
• PHAR F809 - Neuropharmacology (3 credits)
• ANAT D876 - Neurotransmitter/Neuroendocrine Cytology & Anatomy (3 credits)
• ANAT D888 - Developmental & Molecular Neurobiology (3 credits)
• BIOC B500 - (3 credits)
• ORCHEM 533 - Biochemistry (3 credits)

Core in Psychology

Quantitative Methods (6 credit hours required) 

• *PSY 600 - Statistical Inference (3 credits)
• *PSY 601 - Correlation & Experiment Design (3 credits)

Learning, Memory, & Cognition (6 credit hours required) 

• PSY 518 - Memory & Cognition (3 credits)
• PSY 622 - Animal Learning (3 credits)
• PSY 624 - Human Learning & Memory (3 credits)
• PSY 628 - Perceptual Processes (3 credits)
• PSY 655 - Cognitive Development (3 credits)
• PSY-I 675 - Human Neuropsychology (3 credits)

Clinical, Social, Developmental, and I/O (6 credit hours required)

• PSY-I 535 - Clinical Neuroscience (3 credits)
• PSY 570 - Industrial Psychology (3 credits)
• PSY 572 - Organizational Psychology (3 credits)
• PSY-I 591 - Psychopathology (3 credits)
• PSY 640 - Survey of Social Psychology (3 credits)
• PSY-I 670 - Ethical Issues in Psychology (3 credits)

Seminars & Professional Training (8, 1-hour seminar credit hours of 590 required)

• *590 - Addictions Seminar (1 credit per semester)
• N801 - Seminar-Topics in Medical Neuroscience (1 credit)
• N802 - Tech. of Effective Grant Writing (3 credits)
• G504 - Introduction to Research Ethics (2 credits)
• G556 - Humane Animal Experimentation (1 credit)
• *I595 - Seminar in Teaching Psychology (0-3 credits)

Every student is expected to serve in some teaching capacity for at least two semesters, either as a teaching assistant or as an instructor for an undergraduate psychology course.

Requirements

Read the requirements in the academic bulletin. Choose the bulletin year corresponding to your first term.

• 2022–2023
• 2021–2022
• 2020–2021
• 2019–2020
• 2018–2019

Offered at IUPUI by School of Science

Offered on campus

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Best Online PhDs in Addiction Studies

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Updated April 12, 2024

Reviewed by

TBS Rankings Team

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Ph.D. in Addiction Counseling

Earning a Ph.D. in addiction and recovery online can open up career pathways in counseling, research, academia, or public policy. Amid the current opioid epidemic, it is essential to help individuals who struggle with addiction. The Bureau of Labor Services (BLS) projects employment for substance abuse counselor jobs to grow by 18% from 2022-2032. If you want to contribute to the fight against addiction as a counselor, researcher, or educator, consider earning a Ph.D. in addiction counseling online.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, experts on addiction treatment have become an important asset. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 13% of Americans admitted to starting or increasing use of addictive substances in the pandemic's early stages. Substance abuse counselors have taken to online platforms to help counsel people struggling with these issues during the pandemic.

Read on for our alphabetically sorted rankings of counseling and psychology doctoral programs that fall under the umbrella of addiction and recovery doctoral degrees.

Featured Addiction & Recovery Programs

Best online doctoral addiction and recovery programs.

We use trusted sources like Peterson's Data and the National Center for Education Statistics to inform the data for these schools. TheBestSchools.org is an advertising-supported site. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site. from our partners appear among these rankings and are indicated as such.

#1 Best Online PhDs in Addiction Studies

National University

• San Diego, CA

The Ph.D. in substance-related and addictive disorders program at National University allows students to earn a doctorate in an online format. At the private institution, degree-seekers take doctoral classes in a flexible format. Doctoral students receive access to research support, library access, and career advising.

In the online addiction recovery program, learners complete doctoral coursework and strengthen advanced skills. After passing comprehensive examinations, doctoral candidates complete a dissertation that contributes original research to the field. Graduates with an addiction recovery doctorate can pursue roles in research, academia, and leadership.

At the accredited institution, doctoral students may qualify for several forms of financial aid. Contact the program for more information about research support and financial aid.

National University at a Glance:

Online Master's Programs: 26

Online Doctoral Programs: 15

Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 3-to-1

Graduate Tuition Rate: $16,983

Accepts Transfer Credits: Accepted

#2 Best Online PhDs in Addiction Studies

Regent University

• Virginia Beach, VA
• Online + Campus

The online Ph.D. in addictions counseling program, offered by Regent University, ranks as a top program in the field. At the private university, degree-seekers participate in virtual classrooms to earn a doctorate. Doctoral students conduct research and participate in academic conferences.

In the online addictions counseling program, graduate learners take advanced courses. Doctoral candidates move through the program by passing exams and researching for a dissertation project. A doctorate in addictions counseling prepares graduates for careers in academia, research, and leadership.

Doctoral students attending the accredited institution online can qualify for several forms of financial aid. Reach out to the program to learn more about transfer credit policies, research support, and admission requirements.

Regent University at a Glance:

Online Student Enrollment: 9,507

Online Master's Programs: 37

Online Doctoral Programs: 12

Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 29-to-1

Graduate Tuition Rate: $15,552

How We Chose These Schools

At TheBestSchools, we pride ourselves on our proprietary ranking methodology to help prospective students like you find the best fit. Our ranking system uses data from the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate schools without bias while accounting for key factors like academic quality, online offerings, and affordability.

This ranking is from 2023. Learn more about how our formula works on our ranking methodology page .

What Is an Online Ph.D. in Addiction and Recovery?

Schools typically offer online Ph.D. in addiction and recovery programs as specialized counseling degrees, focused on helping individuals with addiction and substance challenges. However, this degree often includes a non-clinical focus on addiction psychology.

A full-time student usually completes this program in 3-4 years. An online Ph.D. in addiction and recovery suits individuals looking to become addiction counselors. However, the degree also attracts psychiatrists and non-clinical psychologists who are looking to specialize. The degree prepares learners to enter the workforce as specialized addictions counselors or as psychologists dedicated to furthering our understanding of addiction.

Enrollees can expect to take coursework in addiction treatment, family studies, and pharmacology of addiction. Doctoral students also learn cultural sensitivity, empathy, personal ethics, and integrity.

Choosing an Online Ph.D. in Addiction and Recovery Program

When selecting an online doctorate in addiction and recovery, individuals should carefully consider cost, eligibility for in-state tuition, and program length.

Prospective students should also make sure that the program aligns with their professional goals. Check if the program culminates with a residency requirement, and research what kind of practicum or field experience accompanies the curriculum. Learners should also know if the program or concentration is tailored toward addiction counseling or non-clinical addiction psychology.

Accreditation for Online Addiction and Recovery Degree Programs

Candidates should always check the regional accreditation status of prospective schools and programs. Accreditation is a form of quality assurance that demonstrates academic rigor.

Prospective online addiction and recovery online doctoral programs should also have programmatic accreditation by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) or the American Psychology Association (APA). CACREP accredits programs in addiction counseling, while APA accredits non-clinical addiction psychology degrees.

What Else Can I Expect From a Ph.D. in Addiction and Recovery Program?

Ph.D. in addiction and recovery online programs differ widely in their course offerings. Some focus on the traditional counseling path, while others emphasize research into addiction and substance abuse. However, most programs cover similar addiction treatment, counseling, and intervention strategies. They also typically investigate the pharmacology of addiction and the family dynamics and cultural issues that contribute to addiction.

Many doctoral programs in addiction and recovery prepare students for their dissertations by exploring quantitative and qualitative research methods. Other programs incorporate field study or residencies into the course of study.

Common Courses in Addiction and Recovery Programs

• Addiction Intervention: This course examines intervention-based strategies for helping people with addiction. Students learn how counseling professionals guide family interventions for the benefit of patients and their loved ones.
• Addictive Behaviors and Substance Abuse: Learners learn about the behaviors and thought patterns that can lead to substance abuse challenges.
• Counseling Skills and Techniques: This course covers the practice theory and techniques used to counsel individuals with addiction and substance abuse challenges, such as the 12-step process, family systems, and addiction treatment.
• Diversity and Social Justice: This course investigates how gender, race, and socioeconomic status influence addiction and substance abuse treatment. Learners learn to apply cultural sensitivity training to the counseling practice.
• Group Counseling: Students explore group-centric strategies for counseling individuals with substance abuse and other challenges. Topics include support groups, cognitive-behavioral groups, and interpersonal processing groups.
• Professional Growth and Wellbeing: This course covers how addiction and substance abuse counselors can develop healthy personal characteristics for effective practice. Coursework covers self-assessment and the importance of healthy counseling relationships.

How Long Does It Take to Complete an Online Doctorate in Addiction and Recovery Program?

Earning a Ph.D. in addiction counseling online usually takes 3-4 years. Program length depends on several factors, including course load, research topics, and ability to secure funding. A part-time enrollee may take up to seven years to earn their online doctorate.

Some programs feature residency requirements that can lengthen the process. Conversely, accelerated programs allow enrollees to earn their doctorates in 2-3 years. Taking online courses in an asynchronous format rather than synchronous can also shorten degree timelines.

Addiction and Recovery Jobs

Most graduates with doctoral degrees in addiction and recovery work as counselors or clinical psychologists specializing in addiction and substance abuse counseling. However, this degree provides a strong footing for other jobs in academia, research, and non-clinical psychology, some which require additional study or credentialing. For instance, psychiatrists need to complete medical school to become board certified.

Common career choices for addiction and recovery majors include:

• Collapse All

Psychiatrists

Psychiatrists treat patients for mental health issues, such as addiction and substance abuse, by administering treatment and medication. They sometimes complete advanced degrees in other fields, such as addictions and recovery.

A psychiatrist must go to medical school, earn an MD, complete a psychiatry residency, and gain board certification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Psychiatrists need licensure to practice, which must be renewed every 1-3 years by completing continuing education credits.

Psychologists

Psychologists study how humans relate to themselves and others through various emotional and cognitive processes. Clinical psychologists provide counseling to help people overcome challenges like addiction, while non-clinical psychologists research human psychology.

A psychologist must possess a master's or doctoral degree in psychology. Most states require psychologists to earn state licensure and complete continuing education credits to maintain and renew their credentials.

Postsecondary Teacher

Postsecondary teachers instruct at the college level. These professionals usually need doctoral degrees to work at colleges or universities, though a master's will often suffice for two-year institutions. Postsecondary teachers can also conduct and publish their own research.

A graduate with an online doctorate in addiction and recovery can work as a postsecondary teacher on addiction and substance abuse issues.

Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors

Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors help people overcome various mental and behavioral challenges, such as addiction and drug abuse.

These counselors usually hold master's degrees in counseling or related disciplines, such as addiction and recovery. A substance abuse counselor must typically possess a master's in addiction studies or substance abuse counseling, accrue 2,000-4,000 hours of clinical experience, and pass their state board exam.

Paying for Your Online Doctorate in Addiction and Recovery

Prepare to use all available resources to pay for your online doctorate in addiction and recovery. Begin by filling out your FAFSA form to develop a sense of your financial need. Next, determine whether you'd like to pursue federal grants, school or private scholarships, or work-study programs.

You can also consider taking out a student loan , which may offer subsidies, debt relief, or flexible repayment plans.

Addiction & Recovery Degree Questions

What kind of degree do you need to be a substance abuse counselor.

You typically need at least a master's degree to work as a licensed substance abuse counselor.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Degree in Addiction Counseling?

It can take 2-4 years to earn a degree in addiction counseling. If you still need to complete a bachelor's degree, add an additional 2-4 years to your expected timeline.

Do Counselors Need Ph.D. Degrees?

A counselor often needs a minimum of a master's degree to practice, but individuals looking to work in private practice commonly earn Ph.D. degrees.

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Biomedical Graduate Studies

Neuroscience graduate group.

• Focused Areas

By Traditional Areas of Neuroscience Research

• Behavioral and Cognitive
• Cellular and Molecular
• Computational Neuroscience
• Developmental
• Neurobiology of Disease

By Focused Areas of Neuroscience Research

• Affective Disorders
• Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Axon Guidance
• Behavioral Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Decision Neuroscience
• Genetics and Epigenetics
• Imaging Approaches
• Ion Channels and Receptors
• Learning and Memory
• Motor Systems
• Neural Injury, Regeneration, Repair, and Stem Cells
• Neurobiology of Obesity
• Neurobiology of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms
• Neurobiology of Stress
• Neurodegeneration
• Neuroendocrinology
• Neuroengineering
• Neuroinflammation and Neurovirology
• Neuron-Glia Interactions
• Schizophrenia
• Sensory Systems and Perception
• Synaptic Plasticity
• Synaptogenesis and Circuit Formation

Current Members

Click the faculty member's name to see more detailed information.

© The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania | Site best viewed in a supported browser . | Report Accessibility Issues and Get Help | Privacy Policy | Site Design: PMACS Web Team.

Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience

Kyle Flippo, PhD

Catherine Marcinkiewcz, PhD

Huxing Cui, PhD

Jason J. Radley, PhD

John Wemmie, MD, PhD

Krystal L. Parker, PhD

Lane Strathearn, MBBS, PhD

Mark J. Niciu, MD, PhD

Matthew Potthoff, PhD

Nicholas Trapp, MD, MS

Ryan T. LaLumiere, PhD

Addiction Neuroscience Laboratory (Olive)

We are interested in examining how abused drugs affect the brain on a neurobiological level. Specifically, what long-lasting changes do abused drugs produce in the brain that ultimately result in dependence and addiction? Can these changes be minimized or reversed? What makes some individuals vulnerable to addiction while others are resilient? Under what circumstances, and in what brain regions, do drugs produce toxic effects on neurons and other cell types? Given the poor outcomes of existing treatments for addictive disorders, our ultimate goal is to identify novel biological targets for innovative therapies that can be integrated into other treatment approaches to facilitate healing of the addicted brain.

Current research projects in the laboratory utilize model organisms to examine: 

• The neural circuits and neurochemical mechanisms underlying the ability of alcohol to activate brain endorphin systems
• The abuse liability and neurotoxicity of emerging drugs of abuse such as synthetic cathinones (“bath salts”) 
• Interactions between social and neurobiological factors that underlie addiction to heroin and other opiates
• The ability of abused drugs to induce lasting morphological (structural) changes in neurons
• Mechanisms of alcohol dependence and co-abuse with psychostimulants 
• Optogenetic and chemogenetic control of neural circuits that underlie addictive behaviors

Lab Director & Principal Investigator:  M. Foster Olive, PhD, Professor

Dr.  Olive received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from UC San Diego, and his doctoral degree in Neuroscience from UCLA. His postdoctoral research was performed at Stanford University and the University of California at San Francisco. His research has been published in journals such as  Psychopharmacology ,  Biological Psychiatry ,  Journal of Neuroscience , and  Nature Neuroscience , and he currently serves on the editorial boards for  Neuropsychopharmacology ,  Addiction Biology ,  Neuropharmacology , and  Frontiers in Pharmacology . Dr. Olive’s research is supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. He is a member of the ASU Leadership Academy Neuroscience team and was previously nominated for the Zebulon Pearce Distinguished Teaching Award.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Jonna M. Leyrer-Jackson, Ph.D.

Graduate Student(s)

Amanda Acuna 

Research Staff

Erin Nagy , Lab Manager Paula Overby , Research Technician

Lab alums: where are they now?

Former Postdoctoral Fellows: Peter Kufahl, PhD; Software Engineer, Praxis Resources Sara Taylor, PhD; Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Hendrix College Lauren E. Hood, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, Neuroscience,  Inotiv Boulder

Former graduate students: Amber LaCrosse , PhD; Assistant Professor, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Northern Michigan Candace Lewis , PhD; Postdoctoral Fellow, ASU Department of Psychology and Translational Genomics Research Institute Seven E. Tomek,  PhD; Medical Science Liaison, Caris Life Sciences Lucas Watterson , PhD; Director, Field Medical Excellence – Addiction, Alkermes

Former undergraduate honors students and research assistants

Allison Baker, Doctoral student in Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania Cory Casterline, Pharmacy student, Midwestern University Lauren Hood, Doctoral student in Neuroscience, University of Washington Meaghan Johnson, Copyright Coordinator, Sony Music Entertainment Natali Nemirovsky, Staff Nurse, Inova Fairfax Hospital Kelsey Staudinger, Doctoral student in Osteopathic Medicine, Campbell University Scott Wegner, Staff Research Associate, UCSF Department of Neurology Stephanie Yahn, Doctoral student in Neuroscience, University of Miami

Select Publications

Below are a sample of recent publications from Dr. Olive's research and lab. For additional articles, please contact Dr. Olive.

Leyrer-Jackson JM, Overby PF, Nagy EK, Olive MF. Early life stress promotes heroin seeking but does not alter the excitability of insular pyramidal cells targeting the nucleus accumbens. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 15:777826, 2021.

Leyrer-Jackson JM, Hood LE, Olive MF. Drugs of abuse differentially alter the neuronal excitability of prefrontal layer V pyramidal cell subtypes. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience 15:703655, 2021

Leyrer-Jackson JM, Hood LE, Olive MF. Alcohol consumption preferentially activates a subset of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) producing neurons targeting the amygdala. Neuropharmacology 195:108674, 2021.

Namba MD, Leyrer-Jackson JM, Nagy EK, Olive MF, Neisewander JL. Neuroimmune mechanisms as novel treatment targets for substance use disorders and associated comorbidities. Frontiers in Neuroscience 15:650785, 2021.          2020

Hood LE, Leyrer-Jackson JM, Olive MF. Pharmacotherapeutic management of co-morbid alcohol and opioid use. Expert Opinion of Pharmacotherapy 21:823-839, 2020.

Nagy EK, Overby PF, Olive MF. Reinforcing effects of the synthetic cathinone α-pyrrolidinopropiophenone (α-PPP) in a repeated extended access binge paradigm. Frontiers in Psychiatry 11:862, 2020. 

Leyrer-Jackson JM, Nagy EK, Hood LE, Newbern JM, Gipson CD, Olive MF. Ethanol has concentration-dependent effects on hypothalamic POMC neuronal excitability. Alcohol 86:103-112, 2020.  

Leyrer-Jackson JM, Nagy EK, Olive MF. Cognitive deficits and neurotoxicity induced by synthetic cathinones: is there a role for neuroinflammation? Psychopharmacology (Berl) 236(3):1079-1095, 2019

Leyrer-Jackson JM, Olive MF, Gipson CD. Whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology to study ionotropic glutamatergic receptors and their roles in addiction. Methods in Molecular Biology 1941:107-135, 2019

2018 Sewalia K, Watterson LR, Hryciw A, Belloc A, Ortiz JB, Olive MF. Neurocognitive dysfunction following repeated binge-like self-administration of the synthetic cathinone 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV). Neuropharmacology 134:36-45, 2018.

Simmons SJ, Leyrer-Jackson J4, Oliver C, Hicks C, Muschamp JW, Rawls SM, Olive MF. DARK classics in chemical neuroscience: cathinone-derived psychostimulants. ACS Chemical Neuroscience 9:2379-2394, 2018.

News & more!

Working to solve the puzzle that is drug addiction: ASU neuroscientist Foster Olive promoted to full professor

Drug addiction is complex, and Arizona State University neuroscientist  Foster Olive  has spent his career working to unravel why and how the brain becomes addicted to drugs.

The ASU Department of Psychology recently promoted Olive from associate professor to full professor because of his research efforts

At age 28, ASU alum Candace Lewis is both a Bisgrove Scholar and a Fulbright Scholar. Read more in  Discovering what makes us tick  ( ASU Now, 24 Nov, 2015).

After working in Dr. Olive's lab, SoLS student, Brian Burrows, decides to pursues neuroscience research and medical school.   Read more  about Brian's story and accomplishments including his award as “Student of the Year in Biological Sciences – Animal Physiology and Behavior” (ASU Now, 15 May, 2015)

For information regarding undergraduate volunteer opportunities, please contact Amanda Acuna at [email protected]

Addiction Neuroscience

Doctor of Philosophy

Offered at IU Indianapolis by School of Science .

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Rockefeller University

Newly discovered brain pathway sheds light on addiction.

Brain-wide mapping of drug-activated neurons that project to a mouse’s nucleus accumbens.

Drugs like morphine and cocaine fundamentally warp the brain’s reward system—creating the urge to use while, simultaneously, throwing natural urges to eat and drink off-kilter.

Now, scientists from The Rockefeller University and Mount Sinai have identified, for the first time, a common reward pathway that may serve as a hub for rearranging such fundamental priorities. The findings, published in Science , shed light on neural processing of diverse classes of rewards in mice, with potential implications for understanding substance use disorders in humans.

“We’ve known for decades that natural rewards, like food, and drugs can activate the same brain region,” says Rockefeller’s Jeffrey F. Friedman . “But what we’ve just learned is that they impact neural activity in strikingly different ways. One of the big takeways here is that addictive drugs have pathologic effects on these neural pathways, that’s distinct from, say, the physiologic response to eating a meal when you are hungry or drinking a glass of water when you are thirsty.”

Homing in on the reward circuit

Nestled in the forebrain, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is involved in processing rewards from and desire for food, sex, social interaction—and addictive substances. The NAc, in close collaboration with the pleasure and mood modulating neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, influences decision-making by integrating motivation, reinforcement, and pleasure, essentially encouraging animals to repeatedly pursue activities that routinely feel good.

“The NAc is a key node where the underlying dopaminoceptive neurons direct and refine animals’ behaviors towards their goals,” says Bowen Tan, a graduate student in Friedman’s lab. “What we hadn’t been able to understand is how repeated exposure to drugs corrupts these neurons, resulting in escalated drug-seeking behaviors and a shift away from healthy goals.”

To answer that question, Friedman and Tan teamed up with Mount Sinai’s Eric J. Nestler, a psychiatrist and expert on the molecular neurobiology of drug addiction and depression. Together they turned to Rockefeller’s Alipasha Vaziri to overcome technical limitations that have hampered past work in the field. Brain imaging techniques developed in Vaziri’s lab are among the only tools capable of capturing the majority of the mouse cortex in real-time with high resolution. But in this case, the researchers also needed the capability to record neurons at large tissue depths, in order to image the neural activity at single-cell resolution in the NAc.

“Advancing our understanding of the intricately connected network within the brain demands the innovation of cutting-edge imaging technologies that can capture neuronal activity across distant brain regions, but also that of those at deeper regions,” Vaziri says.

Reshaping behavior

The team ultimately discovered that cocaine and morphine each activate a specific subset of neurons that also respond to natural reward consumption in the mouse NAc. Both cocaine and morphine activated D1 medium spiny neurons in the NAc (involved in positive reinforcement and motivation), while morphine also activated D2 medium spiny neurons (involved in dampening or inhibiting responses to rewarding stimuli).

This cell type-specific response in the NAc was unexpected. “Though both drugs and natural rewards activate an overlapping set of medium spiney neurons, cocaine and morphine each activate distinct cell types.” Tan says. “Their distinct actions within the NAc underscore how the diverse neural dynamics elicited by drugs ultimately shape the different behavioral and physiological outcomes observed in regard to natural rewards.”

Then, using a combination of cutting-edge molecular and genomic techniques, including FOS-Seq, CRISPR-perturbation, and snRNAseq, the researchers went on to identify for the first time how drug addiction skews natural urge: by hijacking a molecular pathway that plays a crucial role neural plasticity, the process that neurons use reinforce learning and memory.

When drugs activate neurons expressing this gene, known as Rheb, it stimulates a pathway known as mTOR, likely altering how neurons communicate, learn, and remember stimuli from food and water. This may explain why mice and humans who are addicted to these substances seem to almost forget the need to eat and drink, stimuli that the brain should be reinforcing as rewards.

The team now plans to delve deeper into the cellular biology of addiction neuroscience, in part by identifying how other brain regions work in concert to influence addiction. “A major part of our ongoing research will be directed to defining how the complex flow of information is incorporated into value computations in brain cells and how that crucial mechanism enables drugs to overtake the processing of natural rewards, leading to addiction,” Nestler says.

Jeffrey M. Friedman Marilyn M. Simpson Professor Laboratory of Molecular Genetics

Alipasha Vaziri Professor Laboratory of Neurotechnology and Biophysics

Related publication

Science Drugs of abuse hijack a mesolimbic pathway that processes homeostatic need Bowen Tan, Caleb J. Browne, Tobias Nöbauer, Alipasha Vaziri, Jeffrey M. Friedman, Eric J. Nestler

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Katherine Fenz Media Relations Manager

• 212-327-7913
• [email protected]
• More information for reporters
• @RockefellerUniv

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When: Thursday, May 2, 3-4pm EST Where: Via Zoom (meeting link will be sent after Yale Connect registration)

Do you enjoy talking and writing about science? Are you interested in science communication careers but unsure what options exist for PhDs? Please join us for a keynote session from Shari Wiseman (PhD ’12 Neuroscience) current Chief Editor at Nature Neuroscience. Shari Wiseman joined Nature Neuroscience in 2017, and became Chief Editor in 2021. Prior to that, she received her PhD from Yale University, where she worked with Dr. Angus Nairn. She employed biochemical, proteomic, and behavioral approaches to examine signal transduction mechanisms that regulate neuronal protein synthesis. She then went on to postdoctoral research at Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School investigating animal models of autism spectrum disorders, followed by additional postdoctoral training in Dr. Stephen Moss’s lab at Tufts University, where she studied the regulation of GABAB receptors by excitotoxic stimuli. Her research interests include cellular and molecular neuroscience, genetics/genomics, and addiction. Shari is based in the New York office.

Tags: Career Preparation Workshops , Applying for Jobs Beyond the Academy , Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industry , Career Development Leaders Program (CDLP) , Consulting , Entrepreneurship, Startups, and Venture Capital , Intellectual Property, Technology Transfer, and Patent Law , Master of Arts , Master of Science , PhD , Postdoc , Science & Health Policy , Science Education and Outreach , STEM Connect Community: Engineering , STEM Connect Community: Healthcare, Biotech & Global Public Health , STEM Connect Community: Life & Physical Sciences , STEM Connect Community: Programming & Data Science , STEM PhD Pathways , STEMConnect , Technology, Data Science, and Engineering

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