Speaker: Christopher Lapish
Dr. Lapish will discuss the changes n the brain that are observed in addiction. He will discuss his work in animal models of addiction. A heavy focus will be on conemporary mtehods for recording and modifying neural activity.
Christopher Lapish is a professor of Neuroscience at the IU School of Medicine.
Sponsored by Benny Ko.
Program: The Neuroscience of Addiction
Speaker: Christopher Lapish, PhD, Professor of Anatomy, Cell Biology, Physiology, IUSM
Introduced By: Benny Ko
Attendance: NESC: 95, Zoom: 32
Guest(s): Steve Kuhlman, Natalie Lapish, Chris Lapish, Scott Perry, Sharon Swinford, Marilynn Berry Stamm, DeOndra Craig, Daba Gedafi,
Scribe: Benny Ko
Editor: Ed Nitka
Talk’s Zoom recording found at: https://www.scientechclubvideos.org/zoom/05042026.mp4
30 million people in the US meet the definition of alcohol use disorder as of 2023. It is one of the largest health burdens in the healthcare system. 20 people die every hour from this condition. Alcohol use among youths, aged 12 to 20, is decreasing. On the other hand, use among individuals 65 and older is increasing, especially among females.
Alcohol alters neuron firing properties and brain function, especially in the decision-making prefrontal cortex. It has a genetic pattern of transmission within a family.
There are three stages of addiction: Binge and intoxication, withdrawal, preoccupation and Anticipation. Each phase involves a different part of the brain. Current treatments do not effectively address the decision-making aspect of the disorder.
Dr. Lapish's laboratory works with alcohol-preferring rats to study their genetic transmission pattern, their behavioral traits (similar to humans), neurotransmitters, and targeted treatments research.
Dopamine and Alcohol have a complex interaction within the brain. Dopamine is distributed by neurons in the brainstem to various regions of the brain but not in a uniform manner. Its metabolism is also different at different regions, such as the cerebral cortex vs the basal ganglia. One of the research aims is to find out whether selectively raising the dopamine level in the decision-making prefrontal cortex would provide a treatment for alcohol use disorders.
A drug, tolpropone, was administered to these rats to block catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and hence inhibit the breakdown of dopamine in the prefrontal cortex. The treated rats showed a dramatic decrease in alcohol consumption as compared to the untreated control rats. Currently, human application is under investigation. A reduced consumption of alcohol has been reported from some of these trials.
Despite promising research, no complete cure exists.
For further clinical advancement, research is needed to better understand the brain's circuitry and the communication between neurons. The holy trinity of neuroscience includes: the measurement of neural activity, actuating neural responses, and building computational models of brain function.
Dr. Lapish described how his research utilized implanted electrodes in the rats' brains to record the action potentials simultaneously from hundreds of neurons, reflecting the activity while these rats are engaged in the different phases of their drinking behavior. The goal is to identify the specific neurons that are involved in decision-making as to explore potential ways to modulate their activity. Optogenetics is one of such techniques that allows precise control of neuronal activity using light, but it requires genetic modification of the neuronal cells so they would express light sensitivity. Research labs also build biologically inspired computational models to simulate brain functions and behaviors. Such computer models allow virtual simulation and manipulation to form or to refine a hypothesis.
Following the lecture, the discussion session brought up many questions from the audience. Such topics included the potential role of GLP-1 drugs in treating substance abuse, the value of old drugs such as Antabuse, the influence of social factors in alcohol use disorders, the polygenic nature of addiction, and the relationship between early life trauma, family predisposition, etc.
Christopher Lapish
