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Professor
Depts. Psychology and Pharmacology
Tufts University
Bacon Hall
Medford, MA 02155
Phone: 617-627-3414
Email: klaus.miczek@tufts.edu
Research Interests:
The work in the pre-clinical psychopharmacology laboratory systematically
dissects the difference between stimulant and alcohol abuse, violence
and social stress in ethologically valid animal preparations integrating
behavioral, physiological and neuropharmacological research strategies.
The distinctive feature of the research is the characterization
of individuals at the behavioral physiological and neurochemical
level in terms of their vulnerability to the aggression-heightening
effects of alcohol, psychomotor stimulants and opiates. (1) Experimental
work focuses on self-administered alcohol, psychomotor stimulants
and opiates and their link to aggressive and violent behavior as
well as to social stress in terms of their behavioral and physiological
determinants. (2) Neuropharmacological methodologies examine the
mechanisms that mediate the increases and decreases in self-administered
alcohol, cocaine and opiates resulting from the exposure to aggressive
behavior and social stress. (3) Ethological approaches to animal
models of affective disorders and drug abuse are used when investigating
how psychomotor stimulants and opiates modulate vocal signals as
quantifiable expressions of affective states in addition to their
effects on behavioral displays in situations of social conflict.
Pharmacological probes for DA, GABA, 5-HT and opioid receptor subtypes
in several discrete limbic and mesencephalic regions are used to
investigate the mechanisms for opiates' and psychomotor stimulants'
profound disturbance of the communication processes. (4) At the
physiological level, an individual's circadian rhythmicity of autonomic
functions are monitored continuously via biotelemetry senders in
response and adaptation to environmental and pharmacological challenges
as potential predictive indices of alcohol, psychomotor stimulant
and opiate effects in situations of social conflict. (5) At the
neurochemical level, in vivo microdialysis of mesocorticolimbic
dopamine and serotonin systems examines their role in social stressand
hedonic drug addiction by monitoring the release of dopamine and
its metabolites during social stress or self-administration of alcohol,
cocaine or heroin. Dr. Miczek collaborates extensively with other
members of the program faculty. Examples are: collaborative work
with Drs. Kream and Hammer on dopamine, serotonin, early gene expression,
and social stress; studies with Dr. Shuster on opioid peptides,
social stress, and analgesia; work with Drs. Shader and Greenblatt
on the GABA/benzodiazepine receptor, alcohol exposure and aggression;
and work with Dr. Alan Kopin on CCK-B receptors in pain and stress
responses.
Recent Publications:
McKenzie-Quirk, S. D., Girasa, K. A., Allan, A. M. and Miczek,
K. A. 5-HT_3 receptors, alcohol intake and aggressive behavior in
mice. Behavioural Pharmacology 2005 16:163-170.
Nikulina, E. M., Miczek, K. A., and Hammer, R. P. Jr. Prolonged
effects of repeated social defeat stress on mRNA expression and
function of m-opioid receptors in the ventral tegmental area of
rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2005 30:1096-1103
Fish, E. W., DeBold, J. F. and Miczek, K. A. Escalated aggression
as a reward: corticosterone, and GABA_A receptor positive
modulators in mice. Psychopharmacology 2005 182: 116-127
de Almeida, R. M. M., Ferrari, P. F., Parmigiani, S. and Miczek,
K.A. Escalated aggressive behavior: dopamine, serotonin and GABA.
European Journal of Pharmacology 2005 526:51-64
Ferrari, P.F., Palanza, P., Parmigiani, S., de Almeida, R.M.M.,
Miczek, K.A. Serotonin and aggressive behavior in rodents and nonhuman
primates: Predispositions and plasticity. European Journal of Pharmacology
2005 526:259-273
Covington, H. E. and Miczek, K. A. Intense cocaine self-administration
after episodic social defeat stress, but not after
aggressive behavior: dissociation from corticosterone activation.
Psychopharmacology 2005 183:331-340
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