# overview
My research interests center on investigating how exposure to psychotropic drugs (e.g. stimulants, antidepressants), and stress (whether physical or emotional), modifies the biochemical integrity of neuronal pathways involved in the regulation of mood and motivated behaviors, and how these pharmacological and/or environmental manipulations early-in-life affect biochemical and behavioral functioning later in adulthood. Understanding the relationship(s) between brain and behavior from a developmental perspective can provide novel insights for the development of therapeutics for stress and drug dependence. As noted by my professional development and publication record below, I have been involved in research questions with high degree of translational relevance.

# keywords[]
Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins

# keywords[]
Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins

# keywords[]
Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein

# keywords[]
Intracellular Signaling Peptides And Proteins

# keywords[]
Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein

# keywords[]
Intracellular Signaling Peptides And Proteins

# keywords[]
Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein

# keywords[]
Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein

# keywords[]
Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein

# educationAndTraining[].organization.label
California State University, San Bernardino - (San Bernardino, California, United States)

# educationAndTraining[].organization.label
California State University, San Bernardino - (San Bernardino, California, United States)

# educationAndTraining[].organization.label
Northeastern University - (Shenyang, China)

# publications[].label
Paradoxical effects of kappa-opioid stimulation on the locomotor activity and Fos immunoreactivity of the preweanling rat: role of dopamine receptors.

# publications[].label
Insulin receptor substrate-2 in the ventral tegmental area regulates behavioral responses to cocaine.

# publications[].label
Ventral hippocampal afferents to the nucleus accumbens regulate susceptibility to depression.

# publications[].label
Fluoxetine exposure during adolescence alters responses to aversive stimuli in adulthood.

# publications[].label
Effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on dopamine system development: a meta-analysis.

# publications[].label
Individual differences in the peripheral immune system promote resilience versus susceptibility to social stress.

# publications[].publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

# publications[].label
Ketamine: The final frontier or another depressing end?

# publications[].label
Underrepresented Minorities in Science: ACNP Strives to Increase Minority Representation and Inclusion.

# publications[].label
Repeated ketamine exposure induces an enduring resilient phenotype in adolescent and adult rats.

# publications[].label
Prenatal cocaine exposure increases serotonergic inhibition of electrically evoked acetylcholine release from rat striatal slices at adulthood.

# publications[].label
Advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP): advances, challenges, and opportunities to accelerate progress.

# publications[].label
Methylphenidate treatment during pre- and periadolescence alters behavioral responses to emotional stimuli at adulthood.

# publications[].label
Extracellular signal-regulated kinase-2 within the ventral tegmental area regulates responses to stress.

# publications[].label
Ontogeny of behavioral sensitization in the rat: effects of direct and indirect dopamine agonists.

# publications[].label
Regulation of drug reward by cAMP response element-binding protein: evidence for two functionally distinct subregions of the ventral tegmental area.

# publications[].label
Differential serotonergic inhibition of in vitro striatal [3H]acetylcholine release in prenatally cocaine-exposed male and female rats.

# publications[].label
Alprazolam exposure during adolescence induces long-lasting dysregulation in reward sensitivity to morphine and second messenger signaling in the VTA-NAc pathway.

# publications[].label
Effects of the kappa-opioid receptor agonist U-50,488 on morphine-induced place preference conditioning in the developing rat.

# publications[].label
Tropomyosin-related kinase B in the mesolimbic dopamine system: region-specific effects on cocaine reward.

# publications[].label
Altered gene expression and spine density in nucleus accumbens of adolescent and adult male mice exposed to emotional and physical stress.

# publications[].label
Prenatal cocaine exposure alters behavioral and neurochemical sensitization to amphetamine in adult rats.

# publications[].label
The influence of DeltaFosB in the nucleus accumbens on natural reward-related behavior.

# publications[].label
Reply to Drs. Hart and Cadet: we agree-the challenges of increasing equity, diversity and inclusion include societal issues and actions now are vital.

# publications[].label
The 5-HT1B serotonin receptor regulates methylphenidate-induced gene expression in the striatum: Differential effects on immediate-early genes.

# publications[].label
Overlap in the neural circuitry and molecular mechanisms underlying ketamine abuse and its use as an antidepressant.

# publications[].label
Role of cAMP response element-binding protein in the rat locus ceruleus: regulation of neuronal activity and opiate withdrawal behaviors.

# publications[].label
Life-long consequences of juvenile exposure to psychotropic drugs on brain and behavior.

# publications[].label
Dnmt3a regulates emotional behavior and spine plasticity in the nucleus accumbens.

# publications[].label
The effects of the kappa agonist U-50,488 on cocaine-induced conditioned and unconditioned behaviors and Fos immunoreactivity.

# publications[].label
The hypothalamic neuropeptide melanin-concentrating hormone acts in the nucleus accumbens to modulate feeding behavior and forced-swim performance.

# publications[].label
DeltaFosB in brain reward circuits mediates resilience to stress and antidepressant responses.

# publications[].label
Role of the mesolimbic dopamine pathway in the antidepressant effects of ketamine.

# publications[].label
The Resilient Phenotype Induced by Prophylactic Ketamine Exposure During Adolescence Is Mediated by the Ventral Tegmental Area-Nucleus Accumbens Pathway.

# publications[].label
Effects of dopamine D1 and D2 receptor antagonists on cocaine-induced place preference conditioning in preweanling rats.

# publications[].label
Nicotine exposure during adolescence induces a depression-like state in adulthood.

# publications[].label
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the ventral midbrain-nucleus accumbens pathway: a role in depression.

# publications[].label
Antidepressant treatment can normalize adult behavioral deficits induced by early-life exposure to methylphenidate.

# publications[].label
Neurobiological sequelae of witnessing stressful events in adult mice.

# publications[].label
IRS2-Akt pathway in midbrain dopamine neurons regulates behavioral and cellular responses to opiates.

# publications[].label
Juvenile administration of concomitant methylphenidate and fluoxetine alters behavioral reactivity to reward- and mood-related stimuli and disrupts ventral tegmental area gene expression in adulthood.

# publications[].label
An essential role for DeltaFosB in the nucleus accumbens in morphine action.

# publications[].label
Vicarious social defeat stress: Bridging the gap between physical and emotional stress.

# publications[].label
Behavioral effects of the reversible dopamine antagonist flupenthixol are not potentiated by N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline in the preweanling rat.

# publications[].label
Regulation of anxiety and initiation of sexual behavior by CREB in the nucleus accumbens.

# publications[].publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

# publications[].label
CREB regulation of nucleus accumbens excitability mediates social isolation-induced behavioral deficits.

# publications[].label
Short- and long-term functional consequences of fluoxetine exposure during adolescence in male rats.

# publications[].label
Phospholipase Cgamma in distinct regions of the ventral tegmental area differentially modulates mood-related behaviors.

# publications[].label
Subsensitivity to dopaminergic drugs in periadolescent rats: a behavioral and neurochemical analysis.

# publications[].label
Exposure to Vicarious Social Defeat Stress and Western-Style Diets During Adolescence Leads to Physiological Dysregulation, Decreases in Reward Sensitivity, and Reduced Antidepressant Efficacy in Adulthood.

# publications[].label
Kappa-opioid system regulates the long-lasting behavioral adaptations induced by early-life exposure to methylphenidate.

# publications[].label
Corrigendum: Ventral hippocampal afferents to the nucleus accumbens regulate susceptibility to depression.

# publications[].label
Nicotine treatment buffers negative behavioral consequences induced by exposure to physical and emotional stress in adolescent male mice.

# publications[].label
Effects of psychotropic drugs on second messenger signaling and preference for nicotine in juvenile male mice.

# publications[].label
Characterization of the mouse adenylyl cyclase type VIII gene promoter: regulation by cAMP and CREB.

# publications[].label
AKT signaling within the ventral tegmental area regulates cellular and behavioral responses to stressful stimuli.

# publications[].label
Correction for Hodes et al., Individual differences in the peripheral immune system promote resilience versus susceptibility to social stress

# publications[].publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

# publications[].label
Essential role of BDNF in the mesolimbic dopamine pathway in social defeat stress.

# publications[].publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

# publications[].label
Chronic social defeat and intracranial self-stimulation: unmasking the many faces of depression?

# publications[].label
The role of fosB in the medial preoptic area: Differential effects of mating and cocaine history.

# publications[].label
Neurotrophic mechanisms in drug addiction.

# publications[].label
Post-training cocaine exposure facilitates spatial memory consolidation in C57BL/6 mice.

# publications[].label
Nuclear factor kappa B signaling regulates neuronal morphology and cocaine reward.

# publications[].label
DeltaFosB accumulates in a GABAergic cell population in the posterior tail of the ventral tegmental area after psychostimulant treatment.

# publications[].label
Phospholipase C gamma in distinct regions of the ventral tegmental area differentially regulates morphine-induced locomotor activity.

# publications[].label
Viral-mediated expression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase-2 in the ventral tegmental area modulates behavioral responses to cocaine.

# streetAddress
Texas A&M University; Psychology; 4235 TAMU