The winners of the 2019 Larry Parsons Travel Award received assistance toward the Research Society on Alcoholism meeting taking place June 23-27, 2019 in Minneapolis, MN.
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Congratulations to:
Sophia Khom
Jung Kim
Giovana de Macedo
Sarah Wolfe
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For more information about this travel award and to learn more about our dear friend and scientific partner, Larry Parsons, please visit https://www.scripps.edu/parsons/Research.html
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HIGHlighted publication
Insula to ventral striatal projections mediate compulsive eating produced by intermittent access to palatable food
Samantha Spierling, Giordano de Guglielmo, Dean Kirson, Alison Kreisler, Marisa Roberto, Olivier George, and Eric Zorrilla

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The insular cortex subserves visceral-emotional functions and, based on its afferent and efferent connections, likely plays a role in the negative reinforcement so important in the compulsive intake of food and drugs characteristic of eating and substance use disorders.
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Female rats were given intermittent access to a highly palatable diet and a subset of rats demonstrated elevated progressive ratio responding, increased punished responding and irritability following withdrawal of the diet, all suggestive of increased compulsive-like behavior.​
HIGHlighted publication
Insula to ventral striatal projections mediate compulsive eating produced by intermittent access to palatable food
Samantha Spierling, Giordano de Guglielmo, Dean Kirson, Alison Kreisler, Marisa Roberto, Olivier George, and Eric Zorrilla

-
The insular cortex subserves visceral-emotional functions and, based on its afferent and efferent connections, likely plays a role in the negative reinforcement so important in the compulsive intake of food and drugs characteristic of eating and substance use disorders.
-
Female rats were given intermittent access to a highly palatable diet and a subset of rats demonstrated elevated progressive ratio responding, increased punished responding and irritability following withdrawal of the diet, all suggestive of increased compulsive-like behavior.​
HIGHlighted publication
Insula to ventral striatal projections mediate compulsive eating produced by intermittent access to palatable food
Samantha Spierling, Giordano de Guglielmo, Dean Kirson, Alison Kreisler, Marisa Roberto, Olivier George, and Eric Zorrilla

-
The insular cortex subserves visceral-emotional functions and, based on its afferent and efferent connections, likely plays a role in the negative reinforcement so important in the compulsive intake of food and drugs characteristic of eating and substance use disorders.
-
Female rats were given intermittent access to a highly palatable diet and a subset of rats demonstrated elevated progressive ratio responding, increased punished responding and irritability following withdrawal of the diet, all suggestive of increased compulsive-like behavior.​
HIGHlighted publication
Alcohol dependence potentiates substance P/neurokinin-1 receptor signaling in the rat central nucleus of amygdala
S. KHOM, T. STEINKELLNER, T. S. HNASKO, M. ROBERTO
Science Advances 18 Mar 2020, Vol. 6, no. 12

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Neurokinin 1 receptors become hypersensitive after alcohol dependence
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Alcohol dependence induced SP/Neurokinin 1 receptor hypersensitivity is long-lasting (2 weeks protracted withdrawal)/ not reversed by cessation/termination of alcohol exposure
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A selective neurokinin receptor antagonist counteracts acute and chronic alcohol effects


