Kurt Fraser Awarded Two Pilot Grants to Study Addiction

The Department of Psychology is proud to announce that Kurt Fraser has been awarded two pilot grants from the Center for Neural Circuits in Addiction. The first grant is to support his study, “Contextual Control of Fentanyl-Seeking.” Fraser will use this one-year grant to take advantage of new models of fentanyl intake developed in his laboratory and establish how the activity of dopamine neurons in the brain contributes to context-controlled fentanyl-seeking. The goal is to develop novel methods for regulating dopamine neuron activity to curb craving and relapse.

Fraser’s second awarded study, “Control of Psychostimulant Reinforcement via the Kidney-Brain Neuraxis,” is in collaboration with Dr. Louise Evans of the Department of Surgery. Their teams will investigate how manipulating kidney-to-brain neural signaling may curb drug intake and craving.

Fraser’s research will offer potential insights into addressing the ongoing fentanyl crisis, as well as addiction in general.

Congratulations, Kurt!