Mark S Brodie, PhD
Professor
Department of Physiology and Biophysics
Contact
Building & Room:
COMRB 2111
Office Phone:
Fax:
Lab
Building & Room:
COMRB 2148
Email:
Related Sites:
Interests Heading link
Acute and chronic actions of alcohol on brain reward and reinforcement circuits.
About
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a serious public health problem, and confers increased risk for cancer, heart disease, stroke and liver disease, and can be co-morbid with other psychiatric diseases such as depression. My research focuses on the effects of alcohol on the ventral tegmental area, a brain region important for reward and reinforcement, with an ultimate goal of discovering new paths to more effective treatments for AUD. My studies of the acute actions of alcohol in rodents have revealed a novel target for alcohol; KCNK13 potassium channels are crucial for alcohol-induced excitation of dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area. In addition, as part of the Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, the investigations of my lab into the effects of chronic alcohol exposure and withdrawal have revealed epigenetic mechanisms that control neuroadaptation during alcohol exposure. These neuroadaptations could contribute to alcohol seeking and relapse by altering the physiology of the ventral tegmental area. Understanding the these epigenetically-regulated neuroadaptations in the ventral tegmental area could lead to novel ways to reverse alcohol-induced brain changes and could be the basis for more effective treatments for AUD.