University of Maryland, Baltimore · NeuroscienceVenniro Lab
Marco Venniro · Baltimore, Maryland
Research Focus
Dr. Marco Venniro's lab focuses on understanding how social interactions affect substance use disorders, particularly opioid addiction. The research combines animal behavior studies with advanced genetic techniques to explore how social dynamics can influence drug craving and relapse. By creating models that simulate human social interactions, the lab aims to uncover neurobiological mechanisms that could lead to better treatments for addiction.
substance use disordersopioid addictionsocial interactiondrug cravingneurobiology
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate how social interactions influence drug use decisions in animal models.
AIM 02Identify neurobiological mechanisms linking social behavior and substance craving.
AIM 03Examine genetic profiling of brain regions involved in social reward and addiction.
Skills the Lab Values
animal behavior analysissocial interaction modelingsingle-nucleus RNA sequencingCRISPR gene editingdata analysis with machine learning
Output against the department
Publications77bottom 22% of dept.524th of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations3.5kbottom 27% of dept.493rd of 671
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.