Cope Lab
Principal Investigator: Lora M. Cope
Institution: University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)
Primary Subfield: Neuroscience
Recruitment Status: Inquire for rotation/fellowship opportunities
Research Focus
PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT This proposal leverages recent advancements in translational neuroscience and represents a critical step in the effort to further our understanding of individual differences in addiction liability, one of the most challenging and important questions in substance use research. This question is particularly relevant during emerging adulthood because that is when risk factors and rates of substance use and substance use disorder are high relative to other age groups. One of the most well-validated models of addiction based on animal models, incentive-sensitization theory, holds great promise for elucidating individual differences in human addiction liability. Incentive-sensitization theory describes the process of reward-associated cues acquiring incentive salience, a mechanism that has been well-studied in animals with sign-/goal-tracking paradigms. These processes have not yet been well-characterized in humans at the neurobehavioral level, however. To address this need, the overall objectives in this mechanistic investigation are to further validate a human sign-/goal- tracking paradigm and identify neurobehavioral signatures of sign- and goal-tracking. Prec…
Active NIH Awards
- 5R01DA058010-03: Neurobehavioral signatures of sign- and goal-tracking in emerging adults: Translation of a preclinical model (2026)
- 5R01DA058010-02: Neurobehavioral signatures of sign- and goal-tracking in emerging adults: Translation of a preclinical model (2025)
- 1R01DA058010-01A1: Neurobehavioral signatures of sign- and goal-tracking in emerging adults: Translation of a preclinical model (2024)
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