Our main focus is on the psychological and neurobiological mechanisms that underlie addiction, with specific emphasis on alcoholism, as well as the learning and memory processes involved in addiction.
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Alcohol addiction (alcohol use disorder) is the second most detrimental neuropsychiatric disorder. Four percent of world-wide death is associated with alcohol abuse, and chronic harmful alcohol use is one of the four most common risk factors for multiple diseases.
Addiction is thought to be a pathological usurpation of the mechanisms underlying learning and memory. Therefore, we study the learning and memory processes that participate in the development of addiction. We also look for neuroadaptations in the brain that occur in addiction, such as changes in gene expression, in proteins and in signaling pathways, and in neurotransmission.
Neurobiology and Psychobiology of Addiction
School of Psychological Sciences and the Sagol School of Neuroscience
Research
Research approaches
We believe that the understanding of brain mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric disorders can be best achieved using a multidisciplinary approach. Therefore, we combine behavioral, molecular and biochemical approaches.
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In vivo intra-cerebral manipulation and psychopharmacology: Systemic and intra-cerebral pharmacology; Stereotaxic brain surgeries; Viral-mediated gene delivery; Histology.
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Behavior: Animal models of moderate and excessive drug/alcohol self-administration, relapse, and drug reward; Assessment of motivational and emotional factors in drug consumption; Animal models of learning and memory.
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Biochemistry and molecular biology: DNA, RNA and protein assays, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and microscopy.
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Sharet Building, Room 124
School of Psychological Sciences
Sagol school of Neuroscience
Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
Phone: +972-3-6408969
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