Understanding How Drugs Affect Brain Activity and Behavior
Neural circuit dynamics of drug action:revealing, uncoupling, and restoring altered brain states
This center explores how drugs like methamphetamine, MDMA, and ketamine change brain activity and behavior, aiming to find ways to restore normal brain function.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11098679 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This center is dedicated to understanding how drugs of abuse change brain circuits and behaviors related to risk and reward. Researchers are using advanced techniques to observe brain activity at a very detailed level in response to drugs like methamphetamine, MDMA, and ketamine. The goal is to pinpoint the exact brain changes caused by these drugs and explore how these changes affect social and non-social behaviors. This work uses both human and animal models to gain a comprehensive view of drug action.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Patients who might benefit from future treatments developed from this basic understanding include those struggling with addiction to drugs like methamphetamine, MDMA, or ketamine.
Not a fit: Patients not affected by drug abuse or those seeking immediate clinical treatment may not directly benefit from this foundational research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new ways to understand and potentially reverse the brain changes caused by drug abuse, offering hope for improved treatments.
How similar studies have performed: This center builds upon existing knowledge in neuroscience and drug action, using advanced technologies to explore these mechanisms in novel detail.
Where this research is happening
Stanford, United States
- Stanford University — Stanford, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Deisseroth, Karl a. — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Deisseroth, Karl a.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.