Source: Interfolio F180
Friedbert Weiss
Research Focus
Neurobiology of Drug and Alcohol Addiction.
Work in our laboratory is concerned with the neurobiological basis of abnormal behavioral and brain functions relevant to human psychopathology with emphasis on the neural control of motivation and reinforcement. The majority of this work is directed at the understanding of the neuropharmcological, neurocircuitry, and molecular basis of drug and alcohol addiction including mechanisms that lead to the development of dependence and withdrawal states, drug craving, relapse as well as impairment in memory and cognitive function.
Education
Ph.D. (Biological Psychology), University of California, Santa Barbara, 1986B.A. (Psychology), University of San Francisco, 1980
M.A. (Psychology), University of California, Santa Barbara, 1983
Professional Experience
1986 - 1989 Postdoctoral Fellow, Research Institute of Scripps Clinic, Division of Preclinical Neuroscience and Endocrinology, La Jolla, CA.1988 / 1989 Visiting Scientist, Department of Pharmacology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.1989 - 1993 Assistant Member, Department of Neuropharmacology, The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), La Jolla, CA.
1994 - 1997 Associate Member, Department of Neuropharmacology, TSRI, La Jolla, CA.
1996 - 2002 Associate Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), School of Medicine.
1997 - present, Faculty Member,Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, san Diego (UCSD).
1997 - 1999 Associate Professor, Department of Neuropharmacology, TSRI, La Jolla, CA.
1999 - 2005 Associate Professor with Tenure, Department of Neuropharmacology, TSRI, La Jolla, CA.
2004 - present Associate Director, The Pearson Center for Alcoholism and Addiction Research, TSRI, La Jolla, CA.
2005 - present Professor, Molecular and Integrative Neurosciences Department, TSRI, La Jolla, CA.
Awards & Professional Activities
1989 National Institute on Drug Abuse MERIT Award, NIH/NIDA2004 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism FIRST Award, NIH/NIDA
Selected Publications
Martin-Fardon, R.; Zorrilla, E. P.; Ciccocioppo, R.; Weiss, F. Role of innate and drug-induced dysregulation of brain stress and arousal systems in addiction: Focus on corticotropin-releasing factor, nociceptin/orphanin FQ, and orexin/hypocretin. Brain Research 2010, 1314, 145-161.
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Dayas, C. V.; McGranahan, T. M.; Martin-Fardon, R.; Weiss, F. Stimuli linked to ethanol availability activate hypothalamic CART and orexin neurons in a reinstatement model of relapse. Biological Psychiatry 2008, 63, 152-157.
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Dayas, C. V.; Liu, X.; Simms, J. A.; Weiss, F. Distinct patterns of neural activation associated with ethanol seeking: Effects of naltrexone. Biological Psychiatry 2007, 61, 979-989.
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Ciccocioppo, R.; Martin-Fardon, R.; Weiss, F. Stimuli associated with a single cocaine experience elicit longlasting cocaine-seeking. Nature Neuroscience 2004, 7, 495-496.
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Weiss, F. Neurobiology of craving, conditioned reward and relapse. Current Opinion in Pharmacology 2005, 5, 9-19.
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Weiss, F.; Porrino, L. J. Behavioral neurobiology of alcohol addiction: Recent advances and challenges. Journal of Neuroscience 2002, 22, 3332-3337.