Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research

October 29, 2020

Histamine circuits in brain reward center

Histamine — commonly associated with allergies — also has a signaling role in the brain’s reward center and may offer a novel target for treating addiction.

By Leigh MacMillan
October 22, 2020

NIAAA director Koob set for Nov. 5 virtual Discovery Lecture

The Discovery Lecture Series launches this fall with a webinar format, the first featuring George Koob, PhD, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health.

By Leigh MacMillan
March 19, 2020

Blocking stress-induced relapse

Danny Winder and colleagues are teasing apart the actions of neurotransmitter receptors in a brain region linked to anxiety and addiction, with a goal of finding treatments for substance use disorders.

By Bill Snyder
February 14, 2019

Modulating stress circuits

Danny Winder and colleagues demonstrate an interaction between two signaling pathways — and its impact on the activity of neurons that respond to stress.

By Leigh MacMillan
November 15, 2018

Four researchers receive Young Investigator Grants

Four Vanderbilt University researchers are among 200 recipients of this year’s Young Investigator Grants awarded by the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation to support “innovative ideas for groundbreaking neurobiological research.”

By Bill Snyder
November 8, 2018

Center for Addiction Research Science Day slated for Nov. 16

Margaret Haney, PhD, director of the Cannabis Research Laboratory at Columbia University Medical Center, will discuss “The Yin and Yang of Cannabis,” Friday, Nov. 16, during the second annual Science Day hosted by the Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research (VCAR).

By Bill Snyder
October 1, 2018

Cytokine-cognition connection

Targeting the immune system may provide a new avenue for therapeutic intervention in psychiatric diseases characterized by motivational and cognitive deficits.
By Laura Daniel
October 19, 2017

VCAR science day shines light on addiction’s power

Fatal drug overdoses in Davidson County more than doubled in the past four years and now exceed the death rates for homicides and motor vehicle accidents, yet few people with addiction can obtain the treatment they need, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry said Tuesday.
By Bill Snyder
October 5, 2017

Mayor to speak at Center for Addiction Research science day

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry will speak during a “science day,” Tuesday, Oct. 17, at the Belcourt Theatre hosted by the Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research (VCAR).
By Bill Snyder
August 17, 2016

New center will examine addiction at molecular level, develop treatments

Vanderbilt University researchers from diverse scientific disciplines are joining forces to help crack the stubborn mysteries of addiction through the new Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research.
By Bill Snyder