Project 142: Transcriptional and Epigenetic Mechanisms of Drug Addiction in Nucleus Accumbens

Contact Information

Prof. Tifei Yuan

Project Description and Objectives

Relapse after long-term withdrawal of addiction is one of the important features of addictive behavior, and its mechanism is not fully understood. Increasing evidence implicates the mechanisms of gene regulation in the lasting changes that relapse induce in brain. In recent years, epigenetics, as a key mechanism that regulates gene expression and mediates long-term changes, has gradually attracted attention in the study of addictive behavior and offer novel inroads for addiction therapy. This project intends to investigate the epigenetic changes in nucleus accumbens, a critical center for affective and reward processing, by using transcriptome sequencing and epigenome sequencing techniques. The project will reveal the the underlying mechanisms of mechanism of relapse after addiction, and explore the novel targets for addiction treatment.

Eligibility Requirements

Fluency in English writing and speaking.

Undergraduate student of biology, neuroscience, or medicine.

Animal behavior experiment experience.

Main Tasks

Perform experiments, analyze experiments and write a research report.

Give a research presentation: technical presentation.

Website

Lab: http://tfyuan-lab.strikingly.com

School: https://www.shsmu.edu.cn/english/