To understand brain function, it is essential that we discover how cellular signaling specifies
normal and pathological brain function. In this regard, chemogenetic technologies represent …

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a chronic, relapsing disease with a highly multifaceted
pathology that includes (but is not limited to) sensitivity to drug-associated cues, negative …

Nociceptive pain is a hallmark of many chronic inflammatory conditions including
inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs); however, whether pain-sensing neurons influence …

The nucleus accumbens is a major input structure of the basal ganglia and integrates
information from cortical and limbic structures to mediate goal-directed behaviors. Chronic …

The basal ganglia are subcortical nuclei controlling voluntary actions and have been
implicated in Parkinson's disease (PD). The prevailing model of basal ganglia function …

Addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder characterized by the loss of control over drug
intake, high motivation to obtain the drug, and a persistent craving for the drug …

Reversible silencing of neuronal activity is a powerful approach for isolating the roles of
specific neuronal populations in circuit dynamics and behavior. In contrast with neuronal …

In the past decade, emerging synthetic biology technologies such as chemogenetics have
dramatically transformed how pharmacologists and systems biologists deconstruct the …

Drug addiction and obesity appear to share several properties. Both can be defined as
disorders in which the saliency of a specific type of reward (food or drug) becomes …

Clozapine N-oxide (CNO) is a ligand for a powerful chemogenetic system that can
selectively inhibit or activate neurons; the so-called Designer Receptors Exclusively …