ASPET NEUs Blog

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  September 29, 2020
  Sex Differences Influence the Outcome of Neuropsychiatric Disorders: A Special Issue
  October's JPET special issue gathers seven articles showcasing original research and reviews pertaining to sex differences in the cells that control immune responses in the brain.
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  April 14, 2020
  The way our brains process information and stress can tell us a lot about how to treat mental illness
  Mental illnesses have been prevalent for a while, but people did not understand how to identify and treat them. Now, mental illnesses are able to be identified and pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments are available.
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  March 05, 2020
  Chemotherapy Rats as a Tool to Study Treatment-Resistant Depression in Cancer Survivors
  The impending silver tsunami of Baby Boomers approaching peak cancer age presents a unique challenge, though not necessarily when it comes to cancer treatments, which have drastically improved in the last decade.
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  February 12, 2020
  An “exciting” era for epilepsy research?
  It definitely is! That was the immediate response that came up on my mind after attending the keynote lecture by Dr. Helen Scharfman a few months ago at the Pharmacology Graduate Symposium at Stony Brook University.
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  January 24, 2020
  Harnessing Power from Within: New Approaches for Studying Kappa Opioid Receptors
  A groundbreaking project from a group led by Dr. Joshua Gross sheds light on how one specific type of opioid receptor, the kappa opioid receptor (KOR), plays an important role in pain and reward.
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  November 01, 2019
  The University of Cincinnati ASPET SURF Program: Inspiring Future Researchers
  "To introduce undergraduate students to pharmacology research and to use authentic, mentored research experiences in pharmacology to heighten student interest in careers in research and related health care disciplines." That is the vision of the ASPET SURF program and the same vision that the University of Cincinnati (UC) adopts when conducting its own SURF program each year.
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  September 17, 2019
  Targeting Nicotine Receptors to Treat Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
  Dr. Wisam Toma spends his time sneaking up on mice and poking them when they’re not looking.
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  July 12, 2019
  UC Neurotrauma Symposium: Uniting Clinical and Research Efforts Towards a Common Goal
  Individually, PhD’s and MD’s can accomplish amazing things, but bring the two groups together for a common cause and their potential to succeed is limitless.
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  June 20, 2019
  New Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Robert Gould - Exploring the Role of Sleep in Substance Use Disorders
  Dr. Robert Gould will open the doors to his new laboratory this summer in the department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the Wake Forest School of Medicine.
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  June 12, 2019
  How epilepsy medicine became a street drug
  Are lab-made marijuana-like compounds a safe medicine or a deadly drug of abuse? Between evening news stories about epileptic children who appear cured after consuming marijuana extracts, juxtaposed with stories of lab-made marijuana-like compounds causing mass psychosis, the picture is not clear.
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  May 29, 2019
  The Road to Becoming a Scientist-Entrepreneur: Dr. Jose F. Rodriguez Orengo’s Path to Success
  Not seeing much information out in the internet about what the profile of a scientist-entrepreneur looks like, I decided to do my first blog post interviewing one. Dr. Rodriguez Orengo is a prolific researcher in Puerto Rico, a role model, and a self-described scientist-entrepreneur.
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  May 22, 2019
  Dr. David Talmage: A signaling pathway explorer
  If someone would ask you whether cancer and neurodegenerative disorders have anything in common, what would you answer? After meeting with Dr. David Talmage, I was able to learn more about Neuregulin/ErbB signaling pathway, and its significance in both cancer and neuroscience fields.
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  May 09, 2019
  Don’t Call It a Comeback: Exploring the Therapeutic Value of Psychedelics
  Psychedelics have gained massive media attention in recent years and their reputation is in the midst of a dramatic renaissance.
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  April 24, 2019
  Worms DNA Hints that Diet Contributes to Alcohol Use Disorders
  Why do some people become alcoholics while others don’t? Finding the answer is like finding a needle in a haystack.
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  April 09, 2019
  Dopamine researcher investigating the underlying mechanism of addiction and depression wins 2019 ASPET Division of Neuropharmacology Early Career Investigator Award
  ASPET’s Division of Neuropharmacology is excited to present Dr. Michelle Mazei-Robison with the 2019 Early Career Investigator Award.
• November 15, 2018
  The Devastating Consequences of Combining Alcohol with Methamphetamine
  ASPET members Amanda Blaker and Dr. Bryan Yamamoto report on the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology that exposure to both alcohol and meth reduces levels of dopamine and serotonin in the brain, two neurotransmitters that control how nerve cells communicate with each other.
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  August 14, 2018
  Infection with Toxoplasma gondii may lead to Alzheimer’s
  Parasitic infections can be a nightmare, especially when they interfere with your breathing, eyesight, or digestive tract. But some parasites cause no symptoms in most people with a working immune system.
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  July 12, 2018
  EB 2018: Can We Target Aging?
  This symposium highlighted the work of scientists Nir Barzilai, Judith Campisi, and Tony Wyss-Coray who are trying to understand what makes a person live longer and to find targets to delay or prevent aging.
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  June 27, 2018
  Nancy Zahniser Memorial Symposium at EB 2018: The Dopamine Transporter in Health and Disease
  The urge to enjoy some comfort food or to listen to your favorite song is caused by dopamine- a chemical messenger that neurons release in the brain when you do something you like.
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  March 27, 2018
  Dr. Richard Daneman, winner of the 2018 Division for Neuropharmacology Early Career Independent Investigator Award
  For Richard Daneman, the passion for understanding the basic biology of the blood-brain barrier goes back to his graduate school years in Stanford University working alongside his advisor, Dr. Ben Barres.