“As always in life, people want a simple answer . . . and it’s always wrong.”

- Susan Greenfield, Neurobiologist

 Our Lab’s Philosophy:

Ask Big Questions! Take Big Risks!

Our Dedication to Innovation

While completing her Ph.D. dissertation at Drexel University, Dr. Allison Andrews utilized her biomedical engineering expertise to design and develop a a unique device and method for measuring nitric oxide from endothelial cells exposed to flow. Dr. Andrews was awarded a patent on the device and method in 2014 & 2017. 

The device is a flow chamber and method for detecting the presence of one more cell produced analytes under flow conditions. The flow chamber includes two compartments separated by a permeable membrane on which a plurality of cells may be positioned. The permeable membrane shields one or more analyte sensors positioned one compartment from the convective transport forces of a fluid flow within the other compartment to allow reliable and accurate detection of cell-produced analytes and determination of the concentration of cell-produced analytes.

Flow Chamber & Analyte Detection Method

Ongoing Projects

The influence of substance use on HIV-1 mutations

One of the growing concerns of HIV-1 antiretroviral treatment is the presence of drug resistance mutations within the population. HIV-1 is not a single virus, but a family of quasispecies, which with mutation, may render antiviral treatment less effective once an individual contracts the virus. Previous studies have shown that there is an effect of substance use on HIV-1 viral suppression (cocaine, methamphetamine) and that crack cocaine accelerates HIV-1 disease progression. We are interested in whether there is a relationship between substance use in general or intravenous substance use and an individual having an HIV antiretroviral drug resistance mutation among a clinical sample of HIV+ people.

The Neurobiology of Addiction in a preclinical model of sexual minorities

SAMHSA released a report in 2015 in which they detailed that sexual minority adults have more than twice the rates of illicit drug use and substance use disorders in the past year than sexual majority adults. Men who have sex with Men (MSM) in particular, have a high prevalence of illicit substance use. An illustration of the staggering differences in MSM substance use is with cocaine; MSM report cocaine use 40x the rate of the general population. Albiet striking, this phenomenon has not gone unnoticed in research. Psychological researchers have been exploring the role of minority stress and social learning to gain a more thorough understanding of why the rates of substance use are much higher within this population. There is however, a dearth of information from neurobiological studies that aide in the explanation of this phenomenon. One of the reasons for this is because there is not currently a sufficient animal model that can be used for neurobiological addiction research for sexual minority populations. Previous research using a rodent model of addiction has demonstrated that there are sex differences in drug dependence and addiction, resulting in hormone based theories for the different addiction phenotypes observed between males and females. Although this information provides insight into the different sex-based phenotypes of addiction, rodent models of addiction lack the ability to translate to the sexual minority population. Our current study aims to change that. In collaboration with Dr. Charles Roselli of OHSU, we are developing the first preclinical model of addiction in the sexual minority population. This new model will add an important new venue for research within the addiction field and advance our understanding of the neurobiological differences in the reward pathways of sexual minorities and sexual majorities.

The Relationship Between Concussion History & Manifestations of Aggression in Student Athletes

Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) disrupt normal brain function and occur as a result of physical forces exerted to the head that deleteriously affects neuronal networks. In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) referred to TBIs in youths as, “a silent epidemic,” reporting 3.2 to 5.3 million Americans are living with post-TBI disabilities. Neurological consequences from the sequalae of TBIs may manifest as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and other cognitive, social and emotional difficulties. Although several studies have shown a relationship between TBI and aggression, much remains unknown about the type of aggression, the population at risk, and its timeline for developing abnormal aggressive behaviors. Thus, the aim of this study was to better categorize phenotypic profiles of aggression in individuals whom have sustained TBIs. Utilizing the Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) survey distributed to University student athletes with and without history of concussions, phenotypic profiles of aggression, were categorized while simultaneously analyzing demographics including: gender, age, race/ethnicity, and concussion history.

HIV and Drugs of Abuse Drive Bone Marrow-Barrier Dysfunction and Altered Hematopoietic Stem Cell Activation leading to Early Cardiovascular Disease

Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has effectively reduced mortality from HIV infection. However, cardiovascular disease (CVD) related deaths among these individuals has significantly increased over the past decade and HIV (on ART)-infected individuals even without major CVD risk factors have twice the rates of CVD. Furthermore, long‐term ART users (≥36 months) were at significantly higher risk for subclinical coronary atherosclerosis in chronic cocaine users than non-cocaine users, which highlights a potential additive effect of suppressed HIV infection and cocaine use in driving CVD. Identifying the underlying mechanism offers the opportunity to reduce deaths and improve the quality of life for those with this devastating disease.

Previous Findings