I have developed mouse pharmacogenetic models for dependence on ethanol by selectively breeding lines of mice resistant, or susceptible, to the severity of withdrawal from ethanol dependence. We have developed a more comprehensive set of behavioral assays characterizing withdrawal severity. With my collaborators we are analyzing the genomic changes underlying the large differences between the Withdrawal Seizure-Prone and -Resistant lines. 

Other approaches include studies of multiple inbred strains of mice examining the basis for genetic correlations between susceptibilities to different effects of ethanol and different drugs of abuse. These studies have explored the specificity of genetic influences across different environments, including multiple laboratories. They are also intended to elucidate gene-environment interactions. Strain patterns of sensitivity sometimes indicate the important influence of single genes on drug responses.

We have also developed new lines of mice selectively bred for binge Drinking in the Dark as a part of the Integrative Neuroscience Initiative on Alcoholism (INIA-Neuroimmune) consortium. These mice drink to the point of intoxication, reaching average blood levels higher than the legal driving limit. We are exploring the pharmacological characteristics of the neural circuitry underlying this drinking as well as the behavioral characteristics of these mice.  We are using these mice as a model for testing novel drugs that could ameliorate drinking and we are exploring their use in informatics-driven genomics studies.

Previous positions
Research Fellow, Organon International BV, Oss, the Netherlands
Lecturer, University of California