Compulsive Reward-Seeking: Roles for Dopamine, Synaptic Plasticity, and Stress
This is a virtual event; please contact events@dpag.ox.ac.uk for Teams Link
Compulsive behavior is a hallmark of substance use disorder and other addictive disorders. My lab models compulsive behavior in mice using a reinforcement training paradigm (RI60) that leads to habitual and punishment-resistant reward-seeking. By using fiber photometry and optogenetics to measure and manipulate dopamine signals in vivo as compulsive behavior emerges, we are revealing how dopamine contributes to this addiction-relevant process. I will present published and unpublished work identifying the specific spatiotemporal features of dopamine signaling that drive compulsion, including evidence that adolescent stress – an important risk factor for addiction – reshapes key features of dopamine engagement in compulsion. These findings highlight the synaptic- and circuit-level mechanisms by which developmental experiences alter vulnerability to addiction and suggest new avenues for personalized treatment strategies.
Date: 28 October 2025, 16:00
Venue: Virtual (Please contact events@dpag.ox.ac.uk for Teams Link)
Speaker: Dr Talia Lerner (Northwestern University)
Organising department: Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG)
Organiser contact email address: events@dpag.ox.ac.uk
Host: Professor Stephanie Cragg (University of Oxford)
Part of: Neuroscience Theme Guest Speakers (DPAG)
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Hannah Simm