Dr. Craft's Current Research
To characterize sex (gender) differences in behavioral effects of psychoactive drugs, and to determine what causes these sex differences, including how
sex hormones modulate behavioral effects of drugs.
- Intracranial Stimulation -- to examine reinforcing effects of drugs
- Drug Discrimination -- to examine interoceptive (subjective) effects of drugs
- Swim Test; Sucrose Preference; Novel Object Conditioning -- to examine anti-depressant effects of drugs
- Elevated Plus-Maze; Predator Odor Test -- to examine anti-anxiety effects of drugs
- Evoked Pain Tests (e.g., Tail Withdrawal, Paw Pressure, von Frey,
Hargreaves) -- to examine analgesia against
acute & chronic pain
- Spontaneous Pain Tests (var. pain-suppressed behaviors such as
burrowing, feeding) -- to examine analgesia against
chronic pain
- Spontaneous Locomotor Activity, Catalepsy Tests -- to examine motor-activating and suppressing effects of drugs
- Behavioral Observation -- to assess complex behavioral phenomena such as opioid withdrawal
We specialize in behavioral pharmacological studies, and collaborate with other investigators to examine pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drug action.