Behavioral and Pharmacological Investigations of Opioid Analgesics
Drugs of Abuse and Other Psychoactive Compounds
Research Synopsis:
In the past 25 years, Dr. Dykstra's research has focused on the study of opioid analgesics, with particular focus on opioids that are less likely to produce physical dependence and abuse. Research in Dr. Dykstra's laboratory has examined the relationship between the analgesic effects of opioid analgesics and their interaction with specific opioid receptor types. A more recent research interest includes investigations of genetically-altered mice with relevance to drug dependence and the development of models of mouse behavior for examining behavioral phenotypes related to a range of behavioral disorders. Ongoing research projects include 1) investigations in mice lacking specific transporter genes, 2) investigations of the analgesic effects of opioid agonists in mice deficient in the NR1 subunit of NMDA and 3) investigations of the role of stress in the analgesic and reinforcing effects of various drugs of abuse in mice deficient in cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2).
Recent Publications:
Medvedev, I.O., Gainetdinov, R.R., Sotnikov,a T.D., Bohn, L.M., Caron, M.G., and Dykstra, L.A. (2005) Characterization of conditioned place preference to cacaine in congenic dopamine transporter knockout female mice. Psychopharmacology 180(3): 408-13. Abstract
Ward, S.J., and Dykstra, L.A. (2005) The role of CB1 receptors in sweet versus fat reinforcement: effect of CB1 receptor deletion, CB1 receptor antagonism (SR141716A) and CB1 receptor agonism (CP-55940). Behav Pharmacol 16(5-6): 381-8. Abstract
Fisher, B.D., Carrigan, K.A., and Dykstra, L.A. (2005) Effects of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists on acute morphine-induced and l-methadone-induced antinociception in mice. J Pain 6(7): 425-33. Abstract
Carroll, F.I., Thomas, J.B., Dykstra, L.A., Granger, A.L., Allen, R.M., Howard, J.L., Pollard, G.T., Aceto, M.D., and Harris, L.S. (2004) Pharmacological properties of JDTic: A novel k opioid receptor antagonist. Eur J Pharmacol 501(1-3): 111-119. Abstract
Bohn, L.M., Gainetdinov, R.R., Sotnikova, T.D., Lefkowitz, R.J., Dykstra, L.A., and Caron, M.G. (2003) Enhanced rewarding properties of morphine, but not cocaine, in b-arrestin-2-knockout mice. J Neurosci 23(32): 10265-10273. Abstract
