RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP

Altered body weight associated with substance abuse: a look beyond food intake

Rose Crossin, Andrew J Lawrence, Zane B Andrews, Jhodie R Duncan

2019-01-01

Background: Substance abuse can cause a range of harmful secondary health consequences, including body weight changes. These remai..

The persistence of growth impairments associated with adolescent inhalant abuse following sustained abstinence

Rose Crossin, Sheree Cairney, Andrew John Lawrence, Jhodie Rubina Duncan

2018-01-01

Background: Abuse of inhalants containing the volatile solvent toluene is a significant public health issue, especially for adoles..

Nucleus incertus corticotrophin-releasing factor 1 receptor signalling regulates alcohol seeking in rats

Leigh C Walker, Hanna E Kastman, Jan A Koeleman, Craig M Smith, Christina J Perry, Elena V Krstew, Andrew L Gundlach, Andrew J Lawrence

2017-11-01

Alcoholism is a chronic relapsing disorder, and stress is a key precipitant of relapse. The nucleus incertus (NI) is highly respon..

Extinction of conditioned cues attenuates incubation of cocaine craving in adolescent and adult rats.

Heather B Madsen, Isabel C Zbukvic, Sophia J Luikinga, Andrew J Lawrence, Jee Hyun Kim

2017-09-01

Relapse to drug use is often precipitated by exposure to drug associated cues that evoke craving. Cue-induced drug craving has bee..

Hurdles in Basic Science Translation

Christina J Perry, Andrew J Lawrence

2017-07-18

In the past century there have been incredible advances in the field of medical research, but what hinders translation of this kno..

Aripiprazole Facilitates Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Adolescent Rats

Despina E Ganella, Liubov Lee-Kardashyan, Sophia J Luikinga, Danny LD Nguyen, Heather B Madsen, Isabel C Zbukvic, Russell Coulthard, Andrew J Lawrence, Jee Hyun Kim

2017-05-09

Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental disorder during adolescence, which is at least partly due to the resistance t..

Addiction-like Synaptic Impairments in Diet-Induced Obesity

Robyn Mary Brown, Yonatan Michael Kupchik, Sade Spencer, Constanza Garcia-Keller, David C Spanswick, Andrew John Lawrence, Stephanie Elise Simonds, Danielle Joy Schwartz, Kelsey Ann Jordan, Thomas Clayton Jhou, Peter William Kalivas

2017-05-01

BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that the pathological overeating underlying some forms of obesity is compulsive in nature..

MDMA-induced neurotoxicity of serotonin neurons involves autophagy and rilmenidine is protective against its pathobiology

Linda D Mercer, Gavin C Higgins, Chew L Lau, Andrew J Lawrence, Philip M Beart

2017-05-01

Toxicity of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) towards biogenic amine neurons is well documented and in primate brain predom..

Prefrontal Dopaminergic Mechanisms of Extinction in Adolescence Compared to Adulthood in Rats

Isabel C Zbukvic, Chun Hui J Park, Despina E Ganella, Andrew J Lawrence, Jee Hyun Kim

2017-02-22

Adolescents with anxiety disorders attain poorer outcomes following extinction-based treatment compared to adults. Extinction defi..

Adolescent inhalant abuse leads to other drug use and impaired growth; implications for diagnosis

Rose Crossin, Sheree Cairney, Andrew J Lawrence, Jhodie R Duncan

2017-02-01

OBJECTIVE: Abuse of inhalants containing the volatile solvent toluene is a significant public health issue, especially for adolesc..

CRF and the nucleus incertus: a node for integration of stress signals

Leigh C Walker, Andrew J Lawrence

2017-02-01

Addiction, cognitive decline and therapy: seeking ways to escape a vicious cycle

CJ Perry, AJ Lawrence

2017-01-01

Any type of behavioral change is an effortful process. Thus, the process of behavioral therapy, where clients seek to change malad..

Role of Lateral Hypothalamic Orexin (Hypocretin) Neurons in Alcohol Use and Abuse: Recent Advances

LC Walker, SS Ch’ng, AJ Lawrence

2016-12-01

Purpose of Review: Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are chronic relapsing disorders with the modest efficacy of current medications. T..

The Nicotinic alpha 6-Subunit Selective Antagonist bPiDI Reduces Alcohol Self-Administration in Alcohol-Preferring Rats

Jirawoot Srisontiyakul, Hanna E Kastman, Elena V Krstew, Piyarat Govitrapong, Andrew J Lawrence

2016-12-01

Cigarettes and alcohol are the most abused substances in the world and are commonly co-abused. Nicotine primarily acts in the brai..

Toluene inhalation in adolescent rats reduces flexible behaviour in adulthood and alters glutamatergic and GABAergic signalling

Teri M Furlong, Jhodie R Duncan, Laura H Corbit, Caroline D Rae, Benjamin D Rowlands, Anthony D Maher, Fatima A Nasrallah, Carol J Milligan, Steven Petrou, Andrew J Lawrence, Bernard W Balleine

2016-12-01

Toluene is a commonly abused inhalant that is easily accessible to adolescents. Despite the increasing incidence of use, our under..

Endogenous central amygdala mu-opioid receptor signaling promotes sodium appetite in mice

Craig M Smith, Lesley L Walker, Tanawan Leeboonngam, Michael J McKinley, Derek A Denton, Andrew J Lawrence

2016-11-29

Due to the importance of dietary sodium and its paucity within many inland environments, terrestrial animals have evolved an insti..

Nucleus incertus Orexin(2) receptors mediate alcohol seeking in rats

Hanna E Kastman, Anna Blasiak, Leigh Walker, Marcin Siwiec, Elena V Krstew, Andrew L Gundlach, Andrew J Lawrence

2016-11-01

Alcoholism is a chronic relapsing disorder and a major global health problem. Stress is a key precipitant of relapse in human alco..

Knockdown of corticotropin-releasing factor 1 receptors in the ventral tegmental area enhances conditioned fear

Nicola A Chen, Despina E Ganella, Ross AD Bathgate, Alon Chen, Andrew J Lawrence, Jee Hyun Kim

2016-09-01

The neuropeptide corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) coordinates the physiological and behavioural responses to stress. CRF recep..

Role of Dopamine 2 Receptor in Impaired Drug-Cue Extinction in Adolescent Rats

Isabel C Zbukvic, Despina E Ganella, Christina J Perry, Heather B Madsen, Christopher R Bye, Andrew J Lawrence, Jee Hyun Kim

2016-06-01

Adolescent drug users display resistance to treatment such as cue exposure therapy (CET), as well as increased liability to relaps..

Validation of modified open field behaviour as a measure of trait anxiety in the dog

Dennis Wormald, Andrew J Lawrence, Gabrielle Carter, Andrew D Fisher

2016-06-01

Trait anxiety may be a predisposing factor for anxiety-related behavioural problems in dogs. This study aimed to measure and quant..

Metabotropic Glutamate 5 Modulators: Potential Agents for Treating Cocaine Addiction

CJ Perry, AJ Lawrence

2016-04-15

There is ongoing interest in the role of the metabotropic glutamate 5 (mGlu5) receptor in cocaine-seeking behavior. Here we review..

Chronic intermittent toluene inhalation in adolescent rats results in metabolic dysfunction with altered glucose homeostasis

ALW Dick, A Simpson, A Qama, Z Andrews, AJ Lawrence, JR Duncan

2015-11-01

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Abuse of toluene-containing inhalants is an increasing public health problem, especially among adolescents..

Relaxin-3 receptor (Rxfp3) gene deletion reduces operant sucrose-but not alcohol-responding in mice

AW Walker, CM Smith, AL Gundlach, AJ Lawrence

2015-11-01

The pervasive use of refined sugars in highly accessible, palatable foods and persistent exposure to reinforcing food-associated c..

NMDA receptor binding is reduced within mesocorticolimbic regions following chronic inhalation of toluene in adolescent rats

Alec Lindsay Ward Dick, Tine Pooters, Sarah Gibbs, Emma Giles, Ashleigh Qama, Andrew John Lawrence, Jhodie Rubina Duncan

2015-10-22

The purposeful inhalation of volatile solvents, such as toluene, to induce self-intoxication is prevalent, particularly within ado..

Involvement of central relaxin-3 signalling in sodium (salt) appetite

Craig M Smith, Lesley L Walker, Berenice E Chua, Michael J McKinley, Andrew L Gundlach, Derek A Denton, Andrew J Lawrence

2015-09-01

NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? Sodium appetite is controlled by conserved neuronal transmitter-receptor..

Relaxin-3 Receptor (RXFP3) Signalling Mediates Stress-Related Alcohol Preference in Mice

Andrew W Walker, Craig M Smith, Berenice E Chua, Elena V Krstew, Cary Zhang, Andrew L Gundlach, Andrew J Lawrence

2015-04-07

Stressful life events are causally linked with alcohol use disorders (AUDs), providing support for a hypothesis that alcohol consu..

DISTRIBUTION OF OREXIN-1 RECEPTOR-GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN- (OX1-GFP) EXPRESSING NEURONS IN THE MOUSE BRAIN STEM AND PONS: CO-LOCALIZATION WITH TYROSINE HYDROXYLASE AND NEURONAL NITRIC OXIDE SYNTHASE

A Darwinkel, D Stanic, LC Booth, CN May, AJ Lawrence, ST Yao

2014-10-10

We used a reporter mouse line in which green fluorescent protein (GFP) was inserted into the orexin-1 receptor (OX1) locus to syst..

Chronic intermittent toluene inhalation initiated during adolescence in rats does not alter voluntary consumption of ethanol in adulthood

Alec LW Dick, Andrew J Lawrence, Jhodie R Duncan

2014-09-01

Voluntary inhalation of organic solvents, such as toluene, is particularly prevalent in adolescent populations and is considered t..

Specific impairments in instrumental learning following chronic intermittent toluene inhalation in adolescent rats

Alec LW Dick, Martin Axelsson, Andrew J Lawrence, Jhodie R Duncan

2014-04-01

RATIONALE: Inhalant abuse is prevalent in adolescent populations, with chronic use resulting in neurobiological and cognitive abno..

The mGlu5 receptor regulates extinction of cocaine-driven behaviours

Michael K Bird, Peter Lohmann, Billy West, Robyn M Brown, Jeppe Kirchhoff, Clarke R Raymond, Andrew J Lawrence

2014-04-01

BACKGROUND: There is extensive evidence implicating the metabotropic glutamate 5 (mGlu5) receptor in aspects of addiction-related ..

Chronic intermittent toluene inhalation in adolescent rats alters behavioural responses to amphetamine and MK801

Jhodie Rubina Duncan, Sarah Jane Gibbs, Andrew John Lawrence

2014-03-01

Abuse of toluene-containing inhalants is common during adolescence, with ongoing chronic misuse associated with adverse outcomes a..

An improved method to prepare an injectable microemulsion of the galanin-receptor 3 selective antagonist, SNAP 37889, using Kolliphor(®) HS 15.

Karlene J Scheller, Spencer J Williams, Andrew J Lawrence, Bevyn Jarrott, Elvan Djouma

2014-01-01

Research into the galanin-3 (GAL3) receptor has many challenges, including the lack of commercially available selective ligands. W..

Conventional Concepts and New Perspectives for Understanding the Addictive Properties of Inhalants

Jhodie Rubina Duncan, Andrew John Lawrence

2013-08-01

The abuse of inhaled chemical vapors is a growing problem especially among adolescent populations. This is partly driven by the fa..

Maternally Administered Sustained-Release Naltrexone in Rats Affects Offspring Neurochemistry and Behaviour in Adulthood

Waleed O Farid, Andrew J Lawrence, Elena V Krstew, Robert J Tait, Gary K Hulse, Sarah A Dunlop

2012-12-26

Naltrexone is not recommended during pregnancy. However, sustained-release naltrexone implant use in humans has resulted in cases ..

Adolescent Toluene Inhalation in Rats Affects White Matter Maturation with the Potential for Recovery Following Abstinence

Jhodie Rubina Duncan, Alec Lindsay Ward Dick, Gary Egan, Scott Kolbe, Maria Gavrilescu, David Wright, Dan Ian Lubman, Andrew John Lawrence

2012-09-18

Inhalant misuse is common during adolescence, with ongoing chronic misuse associated with neurobiological and cognitive abnormalit..

Investigation of the neuroanatomical substrates of reward seeking following protracted abstinence in mice

Heather B Madsen, Robyn M Brown, Jennifer L Short, Andrew J Lawrence

2012-05-01

Persistent vulnerability to relapse represents a major challenge in the treatment of drug addiction. The brain circuitry that unde..