Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · NeuroscienceBehavioral Neuroscience of Addiction Lab
Patricia Sue Grigson · University Park, Pennsylvania
Research Focus
Dr. Patricia Grigson's lab focuses on understanding addiction, particularly to cocaine, and explores early interventions to prevent substance use disorders. Using animal models, the research aims to identify behavioral responses to drug cues and investigate how certain chemicals can alter these responses. The lab's goal is to reveal the underlying brain mechanisms associated with drug addiction and seek new ways to reduce cravings and the need for drugs early in the addiction process.
Cocaine AddictionBehavioral ResponsesDrug CuesGLP-1 AgonistAddiction MechanismsNeural CircuitsEarly InterventionConditioned WithdrawalAnimal Models
Research Aims
3AIM 01Test if GLP-1 receptor agonists can block aversive responses to drug cues.
AIM 02Examine brain activation patterns during addiction cues in high and low risk rats.
AIM 03Investigate neural circuits involved in addiction using targeted antagnoists.
Skills the Lab Values
Animal HandlingBehavioral ExperimentationTelemetryFiber PhotometryImmunohistochemistryMicroscopyDrug Administration TechniquesData AnalysisNeuroscience Techniques
Output against the department
Publications172top 44% of dept.292nd of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations4.8kbottom 35% of dept.438th 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.