Department Psychopharmacology

	Photo: Henseler, © BMBF

In the Department of Psychopharmacology the major research topic is drug abuse research. In particular, we are working on alcohol dependence and the comorbidity to anxiety and depression.
We are using a newly established model to generate alcohol-dependent rats or mice. Behavioral, pharmacological and neurochemical examinations on alcohol-dependent rodents will help us to understand the neurobiological mechanisms of addictive behavior. Studies with mutant mice (also derived from an ENU screen) will help us to identify genes involved in the initiation of drug-seeking behavior. In addition, an organ bank with different alcohol-preferrring rat lines (AA, P, HAD) will be established. The aim of the organ bank is the characterization of molecularbiological cascades (with DNA chip technology) involved in alcohol-derived diseases. In a comparative approach the effects of opioids and psychostimulants are studied.
Our close collaboration with the Clinic of Addictive Behavior at the CIMH (Prof. K. Mann) enables us to rapidly validate our preclinical findings in human addicts. Here the primary goal is the development of new anti-relapse compounds and especially the development of an individually adapted pharmacotherapy. Therefore, alcohol-dependent animals will be separated into different behavioral and neurobiological phenotypes which will then be treated with a corresponding anti-relapse compound. Reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behavior induced by different stimuli will be measured subsequently.

Download of the Manuscript:

• "Behavioural assessment of drug reinforcement and addictive features in rodents: an overview" Carles Sanchis-Segure, Rainer Spanagel as pdf-formate here!

Downloads of the Mouse-Cartoons as pdf-formate:

• Cue Induced Reinstatement of Drug-Seeking Behaviour here!
  
• Extinction here!
  
• Alcohol Deprivation Effect here!
  
• Operant Self-Administration here!
  
• Impulsivity (Delay Discounting) Test here!
  
• Locomotor Sensitization here!
  
• Conditioned Place Preference here!
  
• Extinction and Reinstatement of conditioned Place Preference here!