Alcohol & Chronic Comorbidities

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 research is primarily focused on elucidating the mechanisms underlying cardiac and vascular dysfunction, with a particular emphasis on adverse extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling that contributes to the progression of congestive heart failure.

Current areas of investigation include:

• detrimental effects of alcohol misuse on adult cardiac health
• cardiovascular impact of vaping alone and in combination with alcohol consumption
• long-term consequences of prenatal exposure to vaping and alcohol on offspring cardiovascular health
• role of lysyl oxidase, a key collagen crosslinking enzyme, and related peptides in maladaptive myocardial ECM remodeling
• sex-based differences in the development and progression of cardiac disease

To address these questions, our laboratory employs a range of rodent models that simulate various forms of cardiac stress and environmental exposure, including pressure and volume overload, hypertension, chronic and binge alcohol intake, and vaping. We also utilize primary adult cardiac cell cultures to investigate molecular pathways involved in ECM remodeling and cardiac dysfunction.

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

In the past years my scientific work bridged the gastrointestinal and immune systems with metabolism research to uncover how alcohol disrupts mesenteric lymphatic function, affecting immune cell trafficking from the gut, and contributing to systemic metabolic disorders. In recent years, my professional focus has transitioned from primarily research-driven activities to a deep commitment to academia and education. This shift reflects my passion for teaching the next generation of healthcare professionals and scientists. In addition to my teaching contributions across multiple schools in the past years, including Nursing, Graduate Studies, Dentistry, and Allied Health, I have taken on increasing leadership in curriculum development and course directorship. I have served as Director or Co-Director for several core courses in human physiology and pathophysiology, such as: 1) Human Physiology (HLSC2410) – School of Nursing; 2) Human Pathophysiology (HLSC3410) – Accelerated and Traditional Nursing Tracks; 3) Human Physiology (PHTH7120) – Physical Therapy Program; 4) Human Physiology (PHYSIO6523) – Physician Assistant Program; and 5) Physiology Seminar Series and Professionalism Courses – School of Graduate Studies. My teaching philosophy centers on clarity, clinical relevance, and student engagement. This evolving focus on education has allowed me to integrate my scientific expertise into dynamic, student-centered learning environments that prepare learners for both clinical and research careers.

Neuroscience

Elizabeth Avegno, PhD
Assistant Professor 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 Early Life Adversity and Adolescent Alcohol Use on Neural Circuits. Early life stress (ELS) exposure and early initiation of alcohol drinking are both independently associated with an increased risk of developing alcohol use disorder (AUD) in later life in humans. ELS increases alcohol consumption in adolescent humans, and given the existing relationship between earlier age of onset of drinking and increased propensity to develop AUD in adulthood, ELS and adolescent drinking may have additive effects on alcohol drinking and the risk of developing AUD in adulthood. 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 ELS and/or 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 and Vice Chair of Research
ngilpi@lsuhsc.edu

My lab uses animal models to identify the neurobiological processes underlying alcohol and substance misuse, pain, and traumatic stress reactivity. Much of my lab’s effort goes toward understanding the mechanisms that underlie highly comorbid psychiatric and neurological disorders, for example drug effects on pain-related outcomes or traumatic stress effects on drug use. To achieve this, we use a combination of behavioral pharmacology, circuit based approaches, slice electrophysiology, anatomical tracing, and molecular approaches. The overall goal of the lab is to improve human health by increasing our understanding of psychiatric and neurological diseases.

Dr. Gilpin is also the Director of the LSUHSC Alcohol & Drug Center of Excellence. To learn more about that Center and the work they do, please click here. 

Rajani Maiya, PhD  
Assistant Professor
rmaiya@lsuhsc.edu

Our lab investigates how experience-dependent changes in gene expression drive neuroadaptive processes that contribute to the development of alcohol dependence. We are particularly interested in the neural mechanisms by which repeated exposure to social defeat stress leads to escalated alcohol consumption. To uncover these mechanisms, we employ a combination of cell type-specific and cell type-agnostic approaches. Our toolkit includes advanced molecular and circuit-level techniques including single-nucleus and spatial transcriptomics, activity-dependent tagging of neural ensembles, and cell type–specific manipulation of neural activity using Cre-driver lines and chemogenetics. Through these cutting-edge methods, we aim to unravel how stress sculpts brain circuitry and function leading to maladaptive behaviors.

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.