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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 I will present published and unpublished work identifying the specific spatiotemporal features of dopamine signaling that drive compulsion, including evidence that adolescent stress – an important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
