My research in the LaLumiere laboratory focuses on the neurobiology of addiction and relapse. Specifically, I am interested in the mechanisms that regulate opioid seeking behavior. I investigate these mechanisms in a rat model of heroin addiction, wherein rats learn to press a lever to receive heroin infusions. Using this model, we can apply techniques to manipulate activity in brain regions of interest and observe changes in opioid-seeking behavior, thus identifying the structures necessary for promoting or inhibiting drug seeking.

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