Washington University in St. Louis (WU)
My laboratory studies how opioids shape physiology and behavior. Part of our research investigates how opioids regulate neural circuits of affect, motivation, and emotion. The other branch of our lab examines how opioids influence endocrine and metabolic systems, with a particular focus on endocrine pancreas. We use a variety of integrative approaches including molecular biology, cellular and in vivo imaging, anatomical mapping, optogenetics, pharmacology, mouse genetics, behavioral phenotyping, and glucose monitoring.