Explore UAB

Addiction involves complex brain circuitry that regulates reward, motivation, and behavioral reinforcement.

Despite decades of extensive research, the mechanisms underlying addiction remain incompletely understood. However, advancements in cutting-edge research techniques have allowed addiction biology to thrive, yielding unprecedented data and models for a deeper understanding of addiction and substance use disorders.

Our faculty employ a diverse array of experimental and analytical tools, investigating interventions for, and the neurobiological mechanisms underlying, a variety of substance use disorders including tobacco, opioid, alcohol, food, and psychedelics, applied across multiple animal models and in humans. The ultimate goal of these studies is to enhance our understanding of addiction's biological basis, paving the way for improved prevention and treatment strategies.


Faculty

NameTitleLab
Lillian Brady, Ph.D. Assistant Professor -
Karen Cropsey, Psy.D. Professor -
Ellen Eaton, M.D., MSPH Professor -
Karen Gamble, Ph.D. Professor -
Andrew Hardaway, Ph.D. Professor

Hardaway Lab

Peter Hendricks, Ph.D. Assistant Professor -
Li Li, M.D., Ph.D. Professor

Li Lab

Alec Owens, Ph.D. Assistant Professor -
Rui Zhang, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Sleep, Circadian rhythm & Neuroimaging (SCN) Lab by Zhang