RESEARCH INTERESTS
(1) Behavioral pharmacology; (2) Mechanism of action of antidepressant and antianxiety medications; (3) Stress neurobiology and psychiatric disorders
KEY WORDS:
Antidepressants; tranquilizers; stress; serotonin; microdialysis; knockouts; behavior
RESEARCH TECHNIQUES
Behavioral pharmacology in rats and mice; microdialysis measurement of extracellular concentrations of monoamines in conscious rats and mice; behavioral analysis of knockout mice; stereotaxic surgery; effects of brain lesions and neurotoxins on behavior; central drug administration; in vitro ligand binding; histology; radioimmunoassay; and HPLC analysis of brain monoamines
RESEARCH SUMMARY
Current studies focus on the role of specific neurotransmitters, such as serotonin (5-HT), in the behavioral effects of antidepressant and anxiolytic drugs. Animal models for depression and anxiety are used to evaluate the potential efficacy of different neurotransmitter and peptide receptors for clinical therapeutic effects, to identify brain regions associated with behavioral responses to drugs, and to construct and evaluate pharmacological models for improving the efficacy of psychiatric medications. The participation of central 5-HT neurotransmission in depression, anxiety and neuroendocrine regulation associated with behavioral stress is specifically being investigated. Microdialysis procedures are used to measure the release of neurotransmitters in discrete regions of awake freely-moving rats or mice. These studies provide information on the regulation of the release of neurotransmitters in different brain regions, determine environmental and behavioral conditions that alter the release of neurotransmitters, and measure the effects of drugs during behavioral performance. Finally, studies of different inbred mouse strains or knockout mice are examining genetic factors associated with complex behaviors and the behavioral effects of psychotherapeutic medications.
Selected Publications
Hoshaw BA., Evans JC., Mueller B., Valentino RJ., Lucki I.: Social competition in rats: cell proliferation and behavior. Behavioural Brain Research 175(2): 343-51, Dec 15 2006.
Crowley JJ., Brodkin ES., Blendy JA., Berrettini WH., Lucki I.: Pharmacogenomic evaluation of the antidepressant citalopram in the mouse tail suspension test. Neuropsychopharmacology 31(11): 2433-42, Nov 2006.
Andrews CM., Kung HF., Lucki I.: The 5-HT1A receptor modulates the effects of cocaine on extracellular serotonin and dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens. European Journal of Pharmacology 508(1-3): 123-30, Jan 31 2005.
Jones MD., Lucki I.: Sex differences in the regulation of serotonergic transmission and behavior in 5-HT receptor knockout mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 30(6): 1039-47, Jun 2005.
Hoshaw BA., Malberg JE., Lucki I.: Central administration of IGF-I and BDNF leads to long-lasting antidepressant-like effects. Brain Research 1037(1-2): 204-8, Mar 10 2005.
Cryan JF., Valentino RJ., Lucki I.: Assessing substrates underlying the behavioral effects of antidepressants using the modified rat forced swimming test. [Review] [189 refs] Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 29(4-5): 547-69, 2005.
Crowley JJ., Blendy JA., Lucki I.: Strain-dependent antidepressant-like effects of citalopram in the mouse tail suspension test. Psychopharmacology 183(2): 257-64, Dec 2005.
Crowley JJ., Lucki I.: Opportunities to discover genes regulating depression and antidepressant response from rodent behavioral genetics. [Review] [141 refs] Current Pharmaceutical Design 11(2): 157-69, 2005.
Cryan JF., Page ME., Lucki I.: Differential behavioral effects of the antidepressants reboxetine, fluoxetine, and moclobemide in a modified forced swim test following chronic treatment. Psychopharmacology 182(3): 335-44, Nov 2005.
Lucki I., O'Leary OF.: Distinguishing roles for norepinephrine and serotonin in the behavioral effects of antidepressant drugs. [Review] [90 refs] Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 65 Suppl 4: 11-24, 2004.
back to top
Last updated: 10/22/2007
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania
