Nicholas Warren Gilpin, Ph.D.

My lab investigates the neurobiological mechanisms underlying alcohol & drug addiction, pain, traumatic stress, and traumatic brain injury. Many projects in the lab focus on identifying the neurobiological intersection of more than one of these pathologies. We work on a variety of brain circuits and signaling systems, with a significant focus on neuropeptides and an emerging interest in endocannabinoids. We use a wide array of rodent models and a variety of behavioral, cellular, molecular, biochemical, and circuit-based techniques to test our scientific questions. In general, our goals are to understand CNS function in health and disease, and to identify ways to rescue neuropathology associated with CNS disease states.