Molecular & cellular neuroscience: small systems, synaptic physiology, channel biophysics, receptors
Research at this level focuses on how the nervous system works by linking physiological mechanisms at the synaptic, molecular, and cellular levels. How properties intrinsic to individual neurons and microcircuits process information and how this is affected by addictive substances to produce phenotypes of relevance to addiction.
Cathy Cahill, PhD. Professor, Psychiatry. Treatment strategies to alleviate pain and opioid use disorder. How chronic pain changes reward and motivation in an effort to reduce addiction to prescription opioid medications. Translational science that will advance the development of novel analgesics and treatments for addiction. Pharmacological, molecular, cellular, and circuit methods, small animal imaging. Has mentored many pre and postdoctoral trainees that have received individual fellowships and continued in research and addiction careers.
Lindsay De Biase, PhD, Assistant Professor, Neurobiology Dept. Microglia and how microglial variation shapes synaptic function, resilience, and viability of basal ganglia neurons. Microglia contributions to pathological alterations that impact basal ganglia circuits, such as addiction and other psychiatric illness, neurodegeneration, and focal inflammatory conditions. High resolution imaging, electrophysiology, molecular biology. Facilitates the TNDA contribution to NIDA’s cross-cutting theme of “advancing basic research on neuroscience and biology”. Strong record of mentoring with prior postbacc fellows currently pursuing PhDs.
Christopher Evans, PhD. Professor, Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences Director of the endowed Hatos Center. Opioid system and its interaction with addiction. Using molecular, genetic, pharmacological and systems tools in the mouse model system. Co-director of the Cold Spring Harbor Cellular Biology of Drug Addiction course. Many past trainees have received independent fellowships and/or are now in academic positions at the Assistant or Associate Professor level doing addiction research.
Baljhit Khakh, PhD. Professor, Neurobiology, Physiology Depts. Vice Chair Neuroscience IDP. Develop and use novel optical and genetic methods to study astrocytes astrocyte diversity, fundamental biology of astrocyte-neuron interactions, and astrocyte and neuron dysfunction in disease including addiction. Studies in animal models and post-mortem human tissue. Helps the TNDA meet NIDA’s cross-cutting theme of levering new technology. Strong record of pre and postdoctoral mentoring with most trainees now in academic and industry research positions. Developed and directs the UCLA Physiology Outreach Program aimed at facilitating research and STEM education for high schoolers from some of the most underserved areas of LA.
David E. Krantz, MD, PhD. Professor, Psychiatry Dept. Molecular mechanisms that regulate synaptic transmission. Neurochemical contributions to neuropsychiatric illnesses such as depression and addiction. Molecular and genetic techniques to study how neurotransmitter transport is regulated in cultured cells and Drosophila, and how changes in transporter function may influence behavior. Many trainees have received individual fellowships and continued in research careers. Important liaison to the TNDA for MDs interested in pursuing addiction neuroscience research.
Igor Spigelman, PhD. Professor & Chair, Dentistry Dept. Neuropharmacology, translational neurobiology of neurodegenerative disorders, alcohol use disorder, and traumatic stress. Developmental and disease-induced alterations in the function of voltage- and ligand-gated ion channels. Potential targets for development of novel non-addictive analgesics. Alcohol-induced behavioral and physiological alterations in rodents and development of treatment options. Considerable mentoring of diverse trainees at all levels. Mentor to K awardees. Worked to expand funding for minority recruitment and outreach in UCLA Graduate education.
William Yang, PhD. Professor, Psychiatry Dept. Molecular, genetic, cellular, and circuit approaches to understand basal ganglia function and dysfunction in addiction-related phenotypes, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease. Mapping the dendritic morphology of thousands of genetically-defined striatal D1- and D2-medium spiny neurons to serve as a reference to understand how drugs alter striatal neuronal circuits. Facilitates the TNDA contribution to NIDA’s cross-cutting theme of “advancing basic research on neuroscience and biology”. Has trained 9 PhDs, 2 of whom are now faculty
Systems & behavioral neuroscience: circuits, brain systems, behavior, non-human animal models
This level of analysis allows precise understanding of the brain systems and circuits that underlie addiction-relevant behaviors as well as identification of novel targets for addiction therapeutics.
Avishek Adhikari, PhD. Assistant Professor, Psychology Dept. Neural mechanisms of innate motivated behaviors such as fear and feeding in mice, this includes overeating and comorbidity between addiction- and anxiety- like behaviors. Dysregulation of reward pathways. Molecular tools to manipulate and observe neural activity in genetically-defined neurons in midbrain and hypothalamus. Trainees have received prestigious individual fellowships, and former trainees have matriculated to top postdoc positions and 1 faculty position.
Stephanie Correa, PhD. Associate Professor, Integrative Biology and Physiology Dept. How reproductive hormones affect temperature and energy balance in health and disease. Sex differences in motivated behaviors of relevance to addiction. Helps the TNDA achieve the NIDA mission of “improving outcomes by considering sex and gender differences”. Molecular profiling, viral tools, and genetically engineered mice. Considerable mentoring at all levels, with a focus on individuals from underrepresented groups. Recipient of a mentoring award in 2020.
Anne Churchland, PhD. Professor, Neurobiology Dept. Neural systems and circuits of decision making. Interaction of sensory input, memories, and innate impulses to influence decisions in health and disease, including of mouse phenotypes of relevance to addiction. Large scale neuronal activity recording in cortical and subcortical networks. Mathematical analyses to understand information represented in neural populations. Helps the TNDA meet NIDA’s cross-cutting theme of levering new technology and driving innovation. Has considerable mentoring at the pre and postdoctoral levels including 5 former trainees with Assistant professor positions.
Laura DeNardo, PhD. Assistant Professor, Neurobiology Dept. Medial prefrontal cortex control of threat across the lifespan, development and interaction with subcortical targets. Adaptive and maladaptive motivated behavior phenotypes of relevance to fear and anxiety disorders, depression, and addiction. Helps TNDA achieve the NIDA mission of “Understanding the complex interactions of factors influencing drug use trajectories” including developmental factors and comorbidities. Viral tracing, activity-mediated labeling and manipulation, neuronal recording and manipulation, transcriptional profiling.
Weizhe Hong, PhD. Professor, Biological Chemistry and Neurobiology Depts. Brain circuits of and multi-brain framework for social interaction, empathy, prosocial behavior, social information processing, and social decision making. How disruptions to social behavior can influence motivation and decision phenotypes of relevance to addiction. Cellular resolution neuronal activity monitoring, neural manipulation, transcriptional profiling, computational analysis and machine learning. Facilitates the TNDA contribution to NIDA’s cross-cutting theme of “advancing basic research on neuroscience and biology” and “understanding the complex interactions of factors influencing drug use trajectories”, including social factors. Provides a multidisciplinary molecular, systems, computational training environment for pre and postdocs, with success transitioning trainees to research careers.
Alicia Izquierdo, PhD. Professor, Psychology Dept. Neural basis of reinforcement learning, cost-benefit and value-based decision making, and uncertainty processing. Neural and behavioral adaptations following chronic intravenous drug self-administration and voluntary alcohol experience. Novel paradigms that readily translate across model systems. History of contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Mentor professor, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Diversity mentor award, UCLA postdoctoral mentor award. Many trainees have received individual fellowships and continued in research careers.
Sotiris Masmanidis, PhD. Professor, Neurobiology Dept. Neural circuits of reward-guided learning, prediction, and motor control. Striatum, its glutamatergic and dopaminergic inputs, and how this is influenced by opioids and other drugs. Monitor, manipulate, and analyze brain activity in behaving mice. Mentor to students and postdocs from neuroscience and engineering backgrounds. All former trainees now pursuing careers in the biomedical sciences.
Gina Poe, PhD. Professor, Integrative Biology and Physiology Dept. Sleep, how sleep serves learning and memory, and how sleep disruptions, including those created by drugs, can cause maladaptive learning and motivated behavior that underlies addiction and comorbid conditions such as PTSD. Previously mentored many pre- and postdocs, who have gone on to research and related careers including 4 professors. Co-directs 2 national programs to enhance education of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color: Neuroscience Scholars Program for the SfN and Summer Program in Neuroscience Excellence and Success at the Marine Biological Labs.
Kate Wassum, PhD. Professor, Psychology Dept. Psychological processes and neural systems and circuits that underlie reward learning, motivation, decision-making, habits and how drugs and stress disrupt this to cause maladaptive behavior. Neuronal and neurochemical recordings and manipulation tools in mice and rats. Most prior trainees have received independent funding and have transitioned to research or related careers.
Cognitive & clinical neuroscience: cognitive neuroscience, cognitive, behavior, and neural phenotypes in humans, brain imaging, and treatment evaluation
This level of analysis includes studies of the developing and/or adult human brain, healthy human behavior, and cognitive, neuronal, and/or behavioral phenotypes in human clinical populations (e.g., patients with active SUD). Studies of behavioral and neural phenotypes that are important for the initiation, maintenance, and treatment of drug addiction. Sophisticated brain imaging techniques (structural and functional MRI), developmental methods, psychometrics, genetics, and assessment of potential treatments for addiction.
Susan Bookheimer, PhD. Professor, Psychiatry Dept., Clinical neuropsychology, brain imaging techniques for a wide range of clinical populations across the lifespan. Developmental trajectories and brain systems of relevance to addiction. PI of brain development and child health (ABCD study) UCLA site. Helps TNDA achieve the NIDA mission of “Understanding the complex interactions of factors influencing drug use trajectories” including developmental factors. Has mentored over 16 graduate students and 8 postdocs, many of whom are in research or related careers, including as faculty and top-level tech positions.
Ziva Cooper, PhD. Associate Professor, Anesthesiology Dept. Director UCLA Center for Cannabis & Cannabinoids. Cannabis neurobiology and dependence. Human laboratory studies of cannabis/cannabinoids to understand their associated risks, including cannabis use disorder. Mentor to undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral trainees as well as junior faculty. All prior postdocs are in research careers.
Mirella Dapretto, PhD. Professor, Psychiatry Dept. Neural correlates of core deficits in autism spectrum disorder, multimodal investigations of developmental trajectories of relevance to addiction and their disruption in disease. Longitudinal analysis of adolescence behavior and brain factors contributing to responsivity to emotional stimuli and behavioral outcome (e.g., resistance to peer pressure, risk taking). Neuroimaging, behavioral phenotypes and genetic risk. PI of ABCD study UCLA site. Helps TNDA achieve the NIDA mission of “Understanding the complex interactions of factors influencing drug use trajectories” including developmental factors. Considerable contribution to pre and postdoctoral training. Recipient of two mentoring awards, with many former trainees in research careers.
Adriana Galván, PhD. Professor, Psychology Dept. Dean of Undergraduate Education. Brain development in children, adolescents, and adults using behavioral and neuroimaging techniques. Developmental neural corelates of learning, adolescent decision making, risk-taking, and emotional. Influence of sleep and stress on these factors. Helps TNDA achieve the NIDA mission of “Understanding the complex interactions of factors influencing drug use trajectories” including developmental factors. Considerable mentoring of diverse group of pre and postdoctoral trainees, with many receiving independent fellowships and matriculating to research or related careers.
Barbara Knowlton, PhD. Professor, Psychology Dept. Neural basis of cognition with an emphasis on learning and memory and how this is changes with life experience, including drug use, and aging. Mechanisms of habit learning in humans and how these mechanisms may predispose individuals to addiction. Basal ganglia and medial temporal lobe structures. Woodward Graduate Mentoring Award. Many trainees have received individual fellowships and continued in research, including addiction neuroscience.
Edythe D. London, PhD. Distinguished Professor, Psychiatry and Molecular ad Medical Pharmacology Depts. Brain imaging (fMRI, PET) to study addiction. Neurochemical and circuit abnormalities linked to behavioral states in addiction. Translating findings into clinical trials for opioid, stimulant, and tobacco use disorders. Corticostriatal circuitry, dopamine receptor signaling, and executive functioning. Has been primary mentor to 9 pre and 53 postdoctoral trainees, who now hold positions in academia, pharmaceutical companies, and government.
Larissa Mooney, MD. Professor, Clinical Psychiatry Director of the Addiction Psychiatry Division of Psychiatry Dept. Clinical research at on pharmacological and behavioral treatment interventions for SUDs and co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders. PI on Greater Southern California Node of NIDA Clinical Trials Network. President of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry and a fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, Director of UCLA Addiction Psychiatry Clinic and the UCLA-Veterans Affairs Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program. Trains psychiatrists in the clinical management of SUDs.
Lara Ray, PhD. Professor, Psychology and Psychiatry Depts. Clinical neuroscience of drug and alcohol addiction. Medication development and experimental medicine approaches. Translational approach combining experimental psychopathology, pharmacology, behavioral genetics, and neuroimaging. Dr. Ray has many trainees in academic research positions, including independent research careers.
Steven Shoptaw, PhD. Professor, Psychiatry, Family Medicine Dept. Randomized controlled trials of medications and behavioral therapies for stimulant use disorder in multiple settings of risks for HIV and infectious diseases. Mentor for 5 K-award recipients. Mentors academic physicians and pre- and postdoctoral scientists to incorporate perspectives of people who use drugs and/or live with HIV or risk for HIV acquisition into their research.
Nanthia Suthana, PhD. Associate Professor, Psychiatry, Bioengineering, Neurosurgery, and Psychology Depts. Neural mechanisms of memory and spatial navigation using invasive and non-invasive neuromodulation and intracranial electrophysiological (single-unit and local field potential) recordings in human participants, including clinical and treatment evaluation for binge-eating disorder, PTSD. Develops technology for recording and stimulating intracranial electrophysiological activity synchronized with non-invasive peripheral biomarker activity during freely-moving behaviors in humans. Helps the TNDA meet NIDA’s cross-cutting theme of levering new technology and driving innovation. UCLA Postdoctoral Mentoring Award. Director of Neuroscience outreach for the BRI to promote diversity and access in the Neurosciences in underserved groups. Trainees have received individual fellowships and awards and continued in research careers.
Junior faculty
Junior faculty bring critical and innovative research and intellectual insights to the TNDA, experience with recent transition to independence, and mentoring innovations. They ensure the success of our program for years to come. Trainees are encouraged to select these faculty as mentors.
Bridget Callaghan, PhD. Assistant Professor, Psychology Dept. Parent-driven and child-driven (behavior, biology) mechanisms through which the effects of early experiences on an individual’s health are realized. Intergenerational approach. Family communication patterns. Influence of these factors and neurobiological mechanisms on anxiety and health outcomes, including addiction. Neuroimaging. Emphasis on translational models.
Erica Grodin, PhD. Assistant Professor, Psychology Dept. Clinical neuroscience of alcohol and substance use disorders using experimental medicine and clinical neuroimaging approaches. Brain and behavioral mechanisms of medications for addiction, neuroscience-based treatment development. Dr. Grodin is a former TNDA trainee.
Michael Li, PhD. Assistant Professor, Family Medicine Dept. Stress-activated gene expression in the link between social adversity and substance use disorders in communities impacted by HIV. Observational and clinical research, analyzing biomarkers and behavioral data to understand neuroimmune and psychosocial impact of substance use treatment, especially psychostimulants. Community-engaged, multidisciplinary research activities.
Nicolas Massaly, PhD. Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology Dept. Allostatic adaptations in the opioid system during pain and chronic opioid use. Opioid G-protein coupled receptor pharmacology, signal transduction mechanism, and mouse and rat behavioral approaches to examine phenotypes of relevance to opioid use disorders, pain, anxiety, reward and aversion.
Nicole Petersen, PhD. Assistant Professor, Psychiatry Dept. Neuroimaging-derived information about brain circuitry engaged in substance use disorders to optimize efficacy of neuromodulation treatments. Tobacco use disorder and smoking cessation. PET, MRI, fMRI. Dr. Petersen is former TNDA trainee.
Andrew Wikenheiser, PhD. Assistant Professor, Psychology Dept. Neural mechanisms of decision making in rats using large scale single unit electrophysiology and neural interference. Naturalistic value-based decision making, e.g., foraging choices. Decision-making disruption in addiction-relevant behaviors.
Other contributing faculty
The following faculty bring expertise in areas critical to TNDA training. This includes advances statistical and computational training, clinical insights in the treatment of substance use disorders, understanding of health disparities, and interactions with the broader community.
Anne Andrews, PhD. Professor, Psychiatry Chemistry & Biochemistry Depts. Basic and translational research on anxiety, depression, and addiction, at the nexus of neuroscience and nanoscience. Serotonin and emotion. Developing implantable and wearable sensors for chemical signaling by a wide variety of neuroactive substances. Helps the TNDA meet NIDA’s cross-cutting theme of levering new technology and driving innovation.
Theodore C. Friedman, MD, PhD. Professor of Medicine at UCLA and at Charles R. Drew University (CDU). Effect of drugs on the endocrine system, insulin resistance, body composition, and hepatic, muscle, and cardiac steatosis. Clinical research on adrenal and pituitary disorders as they relate to diabetes and metabolism. Director of the CDU Substance abuse disorders research training program (SART) with a novel emphasis on community engagement and dissemination. He is available to provide expertise to TNDA trainees on endocrinology/neuroendocrinology through consultation and collaboration. He offers his assistance to facilitate recruitment of minority pre- and postdoctoral trainees to TNDA through his efforts in the SART.
Christine Grella, PhD. Professor, Psychiatry Dept. Substance use disorder treatment for individuals with co-occurring disorders, offenders, unhoused populations, and women, including women who are incarcerated and/or involved with child welfare services. National survey databases and multi-level longitudinal models of treatment utilization and outcomes. Co-Director of the UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs (ISAP). Director of the Research and Methods Support Core of the Center on Advancing Longitudinal Drug Use Research (CALDAR) at ISAP. Dr. Grella also generously consults with trainees, offering advice in her areas of expertise related to SUD epidemiology, treatment programs and service systems, and longitudinal modeling.
Erika Nurmi, MD, PhD. Associate Professor, Psychiatry Dept. Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Genetic and biomarker for precision medicine, including genetic risk for mental illness, psychiatric endophenotypes, and pharmacogenomic factors in treatment. Compulsivity-spectrum disorders, including Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders and Substance Use Disorders. Large genetic datasets and electronic medical records.
Catherine Sugar, PhD. Professor, Biostatistics, Statistics, Psychiatry Depts. Heads SIStat devoted to supporting research design, data management, and statistical analysis for faculty and trainees. Statistical methodology and applications to psychiatric disorders. Clustering, classification, and functional data analysis, Complex high-dimensional multimodal or longitudinal data. Dr. Sugar plays a significant role in the training of fellows in the program by serving as an advisor on research design, data analytic strategies, and data quality assurance procedures. Methodological mentor for trainees and whose research involves specialized statistical procedures.
Patrick Wilson, PhD. Professor, Psychology Dept. Community and health psychologist. Psychological, social, and cultural factors that shape individual and community-level health outcomes. Dr. Wilson will share his critical community perspective with TNDA trainees and helps the TNDA achieve NIDA’s cross-cutting theme of “supporting health equality” and “increasing the real-world relevance of research”.