Current research interests concentrate on the role of the midbrain dopamine system in the development of addiction. Addiction is increasingly viewed as a pathological process of learning, involving cell-signalling and synaptic mechanisms similar to those implicated in neural models of learning and memories.
The focus of our research is the function of dopamine neurons and how other neurotransmitter receptors participate in the modulation of these neurons. Primary goal of the laboratory is to understand the mechanisms by which ethanol activates dopaminergic neurotransmission in the midbrain. Ongoing studies are focused on investigating the role of the opioid receptors in ethanol-stimulated dopamine release. Especially while neurotransmitter receptors (such as GABA and glutamate) appear to be potential targets for ethanol in the adult and developing brain, presynaptic regulation of these receptors by opioid receptors will be an important topic of our research.
The primary tools for studying changes in the properties of individual dopamine neurons and neuronal responses to ethanol are electrophysiological and include patch-clamp whole cell recording, extracellular recording (field potential and cell-attached) in brain slices or acutely isolated neurons. The laboratory will also collaborate with other investigators who are interested in studying the cellular level actions of other neurotransmitters and/or receptors in various in vitro preparations.
Sources of funding
The Finnish Foundation for Alcohol Studies
Turku University Foundation