Neurobiology of reward seeking and addiction.

  LAB INTERESTS

The Otis Lab is interested in the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie reward-seeking behaviors. This includes behaviors that are adaptive such as foraging, and those that are maladaptive such as drug seeking. To study these phenomenon, we use an array of custom mouse behavioral assays along with cutting-edge neuro-technologies, including optogenetics, two-photon microscopy, patch-clamp electrophysiology, and more. By using, combining, and developing these technologies, we are able to answer questions in the most powerful and informative way currently possible, providing unprecedented insight into the neurobiological mechanisms of reward-seeking behaviors.