George M. Anderson, Ph.D.
Research scientist in the Child Study Center and laboratory medicine

“The Neuroendocrine, Pharmacology and Genetics (NPG) Core Resource will ensure optimal experimental design and assay utilization, will perform all analyses using rigorous quality control procedures, and will provide interpretive input to optimize use of genetic, drug level and biochemical measurements. In addition to performing assays and genotyping relevant to stress response system functioning, self-control and addictive behavior, the NPG Core is also mandated to develop new neurochemical, pharmacologic and endocrine measurements that will help advance this field of research.”

Amy F.T. Arnsten, Ph.D.
Professor of neurobiology and psychology

Mark F. Yeckel, Ph.D.
Assistant professor of neurobiology

“Our project examines how stress affects cells in the prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain involved in the regulation of memory, attention and emotion. We will explore how waves of calcium released within these cells, under conditions that mimic stress, can open potassium channels that shut off cell firing, and how sustained stress can cause loss of gray matter in this higher brain region.”

Roy Baumeister, Ph.D.
Francis Eppes Eminent Scholar and professor of psychology, Florida State University

Dianne M. Tice, Ph.D.
Professor of psychology, Florida State University

“Addictive behaviors, such as smoking, drinking and overeating are highly prevalent among young adults in the U.S. Losing self-control in stressful or highly arousing contexts plays an important role in perpetuating these behaviors. This project will examine if increasing self-control via practice and training will reduce these maladaptive behaviors in college students. The findings will extend basic knowledge about self-control processes to identify effective ways to change addictive behaviors in the real-world setting of college life.”

Hilary Blumberg, M.D.
Associate professor of psychiatry and diagnostic radiology

Linda C. Mayes, M.D.
Arnold Gesell Professor of Child Development in the Child Study Center and professor of pediatrics and psychology

“Adolescents, particularly those from stressful environments, are especially likely to engage in risky behaviors including drug use. These risky behaviors are due in part to the fact that brain systems involved in inhibiting behavior and understanding the consequences of actions are still maturing. This project will use cutting-edge brain scanning techniques to examine how stress can alter adolescent brain development to increase risk for addiction.”

Daeyeol Lee, Ph.D.
Associate professor of neurobiology

“When people are stressed-out they tend to want immediate rewards for their actions, and this can lead to impulsive behaviors. I think this may be linked to the function of the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain involved in working memory and decision making. My lab will investigate this part of the brain to determine the effects of stress on decision-making at the cellular level.”

Carolyn Mazure, Ph.D.
Professor of psychiatry and psychology

Jacob K. Tebes, Ph.D.
Associate professor of psychiatry and epidemiology

“The purpose of our grant is to implement educational initiatives that foster the process of conducting team science, and to generate outcomes that advance a new interdisciplinary conceptualization of stress, self-control and addiction. We will integrate research across the consortium, develop mentoring programs and institutional review processes that overcome obstacles to career development in team science, and teach strategies for the rapid translation of research to the community and to policymakers.”

Sherry McKee, Ph.D.
Assistant professor of psychiatry

“Stress is often the reason why smokers are unable to quit smoking. Using a novel human self-administration paradigm examining how stress facilitates relapse behavior, we will test whether noradrenergic medications improve the ability to resist smoking. Noradrenergic agents, known to improve self-control, may attenuate the effect of stress on smoking relapse.”

Alexander Neumeister, M.D.
Associate professor of psychiatry

“Addiction is one of the very complex and challenging problems facing Americans today. We will be using brain imaging techniques to understand the brain mechanisms underlying addictions, such as alcoholism and overeating. Specifically, we will look at how norepinephrine, a hormone, is involved in mediating addiction, with the ultimate goal of preventing and treating addiction.”

Daniele Piomelli, Ph.D.
Louise Turner Arnold Chair in the Neurosciences, professor of pharmacology and biological chemistry at University of California, Irvine

“Exposure to stress during childhood and adolescence increases the risk of developing drug abuse later in life, but the bases for this association are unclear. Previous work has shown that endocannabinoids, marijuana-like substances produced by the brain, help animals to cope with stress. We will ask whether alteration in the activity of these substances might explain the ability of early-life stress to change adult behavior.”

Marc N. Potenza, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate professor of psychiatry

“Obesity and tobacco smoking represent two of the most substantial causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Stress and diminished self-control are two important factors associated with these conditions. However, no studies have systematically examined the brain activations related to them. In our project, we will use functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate brain activations related to self-control, stress, and food and smoking cues.”

Jody L. Sindelar, Ph.D.
Professor of public health

“This study examines how family, work life, and other stresses affect smoking, misuse of alcohol, and overeating. We focus on the interplay among these multiple addictions in response to stress. We use social science methods and large data sets, and will develop and disseminate policy implications.”

Jane R. Taylor, Ph.D.
Associate professor of psychiatry

Ralph J. DiLeone, Ph.D.
Assistant professor of psychiatry

“Stress promotes compulsive behavior and addictions, like overeating and smoking, because it makes people want more immediate rewards for their behaviors, and also gives them less control over their behaviors in the first place. We will be studying how stress hormones in the brain act at a molecular and neural level to affect compulsive behaviors in these ways.”