HIV/Immune Research

Patricia E. Molina, MD, PhD  
Professor and Department Head
pmolin@lsuhsc.edu

Current work in our laboratory is focused on understanding the biomedical consequences of alcohol abuse on outcomes from traumatic injury and HIV infection.

Laboratory Webpage  

Liz Simon Peter, BVSc, PhD  
Associate Professor
lsimo2@lsuhsc.edu

Robert Siggins, PhD  
Associate Professor
rsiggi@lsuhsc.edu

Cardiovascular

Jason Gardner, PhD  
Professor
jgardn@lsuhsc.edu

Our major research emphasis is focused on understanding the pathogenesis of heart failure.  Of particular interest are the mechanisms responsible for the adverse cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling associated with the progression of congestive heart failure. Current topics of study include:

• the damaging effects of alcohol abuse on cardiac development and adult cardiac health,
• the cardiac effect of inhaled nicotine and cigarette smoke,
• the role of lysyl oxidase, a collagen crosslinking enzyme,  and related peptides in adverse myocardial ECM remodeling, and
• sex differences in cardiac disease.

Our laboratory utilizes rodent models of cardiac disease, including models of pressure overload and chronic ventricular volume overload.  We also use primary adult cell culture to examine specific pathways involved in the remodeling process. 

Janos Paloczi, PhD
Assistant Professor
jpaloc@lsuhsc.edu

Our research aims to investigate the intricate crosstalk between the gut and heart in alcohol misuse-related pathologies. By employing a multidisciplinary approach, including echocardiography, cardiac pressure-volume catheterization, laser speckle contrast imaging, cell culture models, RNAscope, histology, or other in vitro techniques, we strive to unravel the complex interplay among gut bacteria-derived substances, cardiovascular endocannabinoids, and dysfunction associated with alcohol misuse. Understanding this relationship is crucial, as endocannabinoid signaling has significant impacts on cardiac performance, vascular tone, and inflammation. Our findings will contribute to a deeper understanding of the pathophysiology involved, potentially identifying novel therapeutic targets for mitigating cardiovascular dysfunction associated with the gut-heart axis in individuals with alcohol use disorder.

Lymphatics

Flavia M. Souza-Smith, PhD  
Assistant Professor
fsouz1@lsuhsc.edu

Neuroscience

Elizabeth Avegno, PhD
Instructor-Research
eavegn@lsuhsc.edu

Brain Stress and Reward System Interactions in Alcohol Dependence. The neural adaptations that define excessive alcohol drinking in alcohol dependent individuals may include interactions between mesolimbic reward circuits and brain stress circuits. We are currently characterizing the ventral tegmental area (VTA) - central amygdala (CeA) circuit in both mice and rats by combining retro- and anterograde tracing, immunohistochemical, electrophysiological, and optogenetic techniques. Chronic intermittent exposure (CIE) to ethanol vapor is used to induce dependence in both mice and rats, and ongoing experiments are investigating alterations in this circuit following alcohol dependence, as well as the role of this circuit in alcohol dependence-associated behaviors.

Effects of Adolescent Alcohol Use on Neural Circuits. Epidemiological research points to adolescence as a critical period for the development of alcohol use disorders (AUDs), and binge drinking and early initiation of alcohol use during adolescence have been identified as important high-risk indicators. Previous research has focused on the effects of adolescent alcohol exposure on the sensitivity of VTA neurons to ethanol. Ongoing research interests continue to investigate neural adaptations following adolescent alcohol exposure in both brain stress and reward circuits.

Scott Edwards, PhD  
Associate Professor
sedwa5@lsuhsc.edu

Research interests in our laboratory center around the investigation of neurobiological changes associated with altered motivational systems in drug and alcohol dependence.  Our research strategy is to first determine alterations in neuronal signaling following excessive drug or alcohol use, and then to investigate which neuroadaptations are most critically involved in driving excessive drug intake.  A closely associated goal is to understand signaling changes induced by re-exposure to drug- or stress-paired contexts and how these processes may contribute to relapse and other motivational disorders.  Finally, our most recent focus is on the interaction of addiction and chronic pain.  Employing animal models of these conditions, we are currently investigating how persistent inflammatory pain alters central reinforcement circuitry and motivated behavior.  

Our studies primarily measure protein- and phosphoprotein-level neuroadaptations in brain centers responsible for the establishment and maintenance of the addicted state.  We are able to manipulate molecular targets within specific brain regions through a variety of technologies, including viral-mediated gene overexpression and knockdown strategies.  These projects involve close collaboration with distinguished LSUHSC and national investigators.

Nicholas W. Gilpin, PhD  
Professor
ngilpi@lsuhsc.edu

My lab utilizes animal models to identify the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of alcohol dependence, stress disorders, pain, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). In most of our projects, we are testing the combined effects of more than one of these insults on brain and behavior. Our goal is to tie neurobiological changes to behavioral changes induced by these insults. To achieve this, we use behavioral tests of drug reinforcement, arousal, nociception, anxiety,-like behavior, and locomotor activity, as well as circuit based approaches that include optogenetics and chemogenetics, anatomical tracing techniques, standard biochemical and molecular approaches, and fiber-based photometry for in vivo measurement of calcium signals. 

Laboratory Webpage  

Rajani Maiya, PhD  
Assistant Professor
rmaiya@lsuhsc.edu

My research interests are in understanding molecular mechanisms that underlie Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Specifically, I am interested in how experience-dependent changes in gene expression are mobilized into neuroadaptive changes that underlie the development of alcohol addiction. My work has leveraged a combination of genetic, molecular, pharmacological, and whole-genome strategies in animal models of AUD. My current research is focused on the role of the transcriptional co-factor Lim-only 4 (LMO4) in reward seeking and consumption.

Laboratory Webpage 

Stefany Primeaux, PhD  
Associate Professor
sprime@lsuhsc.edu

Sydney Vita, PhD
Assistant Professor
svita@lsuhsc.edu

Our research focuses on the combined impacts of adolescent repeated mild traumatic brain injury (rmTBI) and intermittent alcohol exposure on brain pathology and behavior throughout the lifespan. The adolescent brain is particularly vulnerable to the damaging effects of both TBI and alcohol, which may have lasting consequences. We are particularly interested in understanding how these dual insults contribute to neurobiological outcomes, such as neuroinflammation and blood brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction, as well as behavioral disorders such as anxiety. We also examine how these early-life exposures might influence the development of dementia, given that rmTBI is a known risk factor for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and that alcohol misuse has been linked to various forms of dementia.

To achieve these objectives, we employ a range of methodologies, including standard biochemical and molecular techniques, such as immunohistochemistry, alongside behavioral assays and advanced imaging technologies like iDISCO+. This multifaceted approach allows us to comprehensively assess the long-term impacts of adolescent brain injuries and alcohol exposure on brain health and behavior.