Clinical reports suggest that females diagnosed with substance use disorder experience
enhanced relapse vulnerability compared with males, particularly during stress. We previously …

Background and Purpose Drugs of abuse, including alcohol, increase dopamine in the
mesocorticolimbic system via actions on dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). …

Clinical observations imply that female cocaine addicts experience enhanced relapse
vulnerability compared with males, an effect tied to elevated estrogen phases of the ovarian …

Relapse susceptibility in women with substance use disorders (SUDs) has been linked to the
estrogen, 17β-estradiol (E2). Our previous findings in female rats suggest that the influence …

Rationale Alcohol and nicotine addiction are prevalent conditions that co-occur. Despite the
prevalence of co-use, factors that influence the suppression and enhancement of concurrent …

Background The basolateral amygdala (BLA) regulates mood and associative learning and
has been linked to the development and persistence of alcohol use disorder. The GABA B R (…

Late adolescence and young adulthood, corresponding to the high school and college years,
are vulnerable periods for increased alcohol and nicotine use. The dramatic increase in …

Nicotine and alcohol are the most commonly abused substances worldwide and are frequently
coabused. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) containing the α6 and β3 subunits …

Drugs of abuse engage overlapping but distinct molecular and cellular mechanisms to
enhance dopamine (DA) signaling in the mesocorticolimbic circuitry. DA neurons of the ventral …

… Thank you to my mom and dad, Cheryl and Tim DeBaker, my first and continuous teachers.
You have been there for me from day 1, teaching me about the world, making learning fun, …