Virginia Commonwealth University · PharmacologyNeuroOpioid Dynamics Lab
Kurt F Hauser · Richmond, Virginia
Research Focus
Dr. Kurt Hauser's research lab focuses on understanding how opioid and non-opioid drugs, particularly fentanyl, interact with the brain to exacerbate conditions like HIV-related neurocognitive disorders. The lab investigates the mechanisms through which these substances affect nerve cells and the supporting cells in the brain, aiming to identify new therapeutic strategies that could mitigate the harmful effects of drug use and improve neurological health in affected individuals.
fentanylHIVopioid use disorderneurocognitive disordersexcitotoxicityastrocytesmicrogliaKCC2
Research Aims
3AIM 01Identify how fentanyl and HIV cause excitotoxicity in neurons.
AIM 02Determine the mechanisms by which fentanyl and non-opioid agents affect neuronal structure in vivo.
AIM 03Explore protective strategies against excitotoxicity by stabilizing chloride homeostasis.
Skills the Lab Values
cell cultureneuron co-culture techniqueselectrophysiologyconfocal microscopyanimal modelstransgenic mouse studiesoptical imagingRNA extraction
Output against the department
Publications220top 38% of dept.176th of 462
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations9.5ktop 40% of dept.184th of 462
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.