To really understand the underlying mechanisms of complex neuropsychiatric disorders like opiate and nicotine addiction, schizophrenia and mood disorders, its necessary to go beyond the level of behavioural and electrophysiological analyses. This requires a careful investigation and characterization of the specific molecular signaling pathways that are associated with the effects of drugs on the brain. To accomplish this, we use several techniques to examine how acute or neurodevelopmental exposure to specific drugs of abuse might alter select molecular signaling events within our brain circuits of interest.

For example, by taking samples of tissue from brain regions like the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus or amygdala, we can examine the precise molecular signaling events that underlie the addictive effects of opioids or nicotine. We can examine how exposure to certain drugs like cannabinoids, might influence molecular signaling pathways that are involved in normal brain development. Using cell culture methods such as HEK cell lines transfected with specific receptor substrates allows us to isolate specific membrane receptor signaling effects and further clarify downstream signaling pathways associated with the effects of specific drug exposures.  More importantly, once we identify these molecular pathways, we directly test their functional relevance by determining how manipulations of these signaling pathways may prevent or even reverse the effects of addiction within these brain circuits. These studies are performed in collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. Walter Rushlow, at the University of Western Ontario.