Brendan M. Walker
Assistant Professor
Ph.D. University of California at Santa Barbara, 2004
Contact Information:
Email:
b_walker@wsu.edu
Office: Johnson Tower 210
Phone: (509) 335-8526
Website:
Laboratory of Alcoholism and Addictions Neuroscience (LAAN)
Classes Taught:
Psychology 198: Honors Introductory Psychology
Psychology 372: Physiological Psychology
Psychology 401:
History of Psychology
University
Honors 270:
Principles and Research
Methods in Social Sciences
Research Interests:
Neurobiology of Motivational Systems
Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Dependence
Substance-Induced Psychopathology and Alterations in Impulsivity
Adolescent Exposure to Alcohol and Drugs of Abuse
Psychopharmacology
Behavioral Pharmacology
My long-term research interest has been the neurobiology of motivational systems and how acute and long-term alcohol (and other drugs of abuse such as heroin) impact brain reward systems to promote increased drug seeking and consumption. We are currently evaluating the neuroadaptations produced by chronic ethanol and heroin exposure that promote enhanced intake of these abused compounds. As an extension of this work, we also focus on the recruitment of negative affective systems (i.e., negative mood or depressive states) during dependence that contribute to excessive alcohol and drug intake and are investigating differences in impulsivity produced by chronic alcohol and drug exposure. An additional focus of the lab is on animal models of adolescent alcohol and drug exposure that impact adult alcohol and drug intake. Once enough information is gathered about the nature of the brain’s response to chronic alcohol and drug exposure, that information can be used to help develop pharmacotherapies for the treatment of alcohol and drug addiction.
Selected Publications :
Walker, BM and Ehlers, CL (2009). Appetitive motivational experience during adolescence results in enhanced alcohol consumption during adulthood. Behavioral Neuroscience, 123, 4, 926-935.
Walker, B. and Koob, G. (2008). Pharmacological evidence for a motivational role of kappa-opioid systems in ethanol dependence. Neuropsychopharmacology, 33, 643-652
Walker, B. and Ettenberg, A. (2007). Intracerebroventricular ethanol-induced conditioned place preferences are prevented by fluphenazine infusions into the nucleus accumbens. Behavioral Neuroscience, 121, 2, 401-410.
Walker, B. and Koob, G. (2007). The GABAB receptor agonist baclofen attenuates operant responding for ethanol in ethanol-dependent rats. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 31, 1, 11-18.
Walker, B. and Ettenberg, A. (2005). Intra-ventral tegmental area heroin-induced place preferences are potentiated by systemic alprazolam. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, 82, 3, 470-477.
Walker, B. and Ettenberg, A. (2001). Benzodiazepine modulation of opiate reward. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 9, 2, 191-197.
