Psychopharmacology Lab
Principal Investigator:
Contact Information:
Email: craft@wsu.edu
Office: Johnson Tower 209
Phone: (509) 335-5040
Website:
Lab websiteSummary:
The primary goal of the laboratory is to determine the neurobiological mechanisms underlying sex differences in behavioral effects of psychoactive drugs. Using animal models, we (1) characterize sex differences in the psychopharmacological effects of drugs; and (2) determine how gonadal steroid hormones such as testosterone and estradiol modulate pain, mood, and the therapeutic and side-effects of psychoactive drugs such as stimulants (e.g., cocaine), opioids (e.g., morphine), cannabinoids (e.g, THC) and barbiturates (e.g., pentobarbital). The clinical applications of this work are (1) the development of sex-appropriate guidelines for use of psychotherapeutic, analgesic and anesthetic medications; and (2) improved prevention and treatment of gonadal steroid hormone-mediated pain and depression.