University of Kentucky · PsychologyBabalonis Addiction Lab
Shanna Babalonis · Lexington, Kentucky
Research Focus
Dr. Shanna Babalonis conducts research focused on understanding how cannabis affects individuals with opioid use disorder. Her lab aims to answer important questions about whether cannabis can alter the desire to take opioids, providing essential data during the ongoing opioid crisis. By studying this interaction, the research hopes to inform public health policies and clinical practices related to addiction treatment.
cannabisopioid use disorderopioid self-administrationdrug interactionsaddiction treatment
Research Aims
4AIM 01Determine how cannabis affects opioid self-administration in individuals with opioid use disorder.
AIM 02Assess the choice between cannabis and opioids in a controlled environment.
AIM 03Evaluate the safety and physiological effects of cannabis use in opioid-dependent individuals.
AIM 04Investigate the endocannabinoid system's role during opioid self-administration.
Skills the Lab Values
randomized controlled trialsdouble-blind studiesself-administration studiesphysiological assessmentsdata collection
Output against the department
Publications60bottom 11% of dept.261st of 296
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations1.6kbottom 14% of dept.254th of 296
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.