Brain mechanisms of compulsive drug seeking in addiction (Project ID: NMH14);

Role of the CRF / NPY balance within the amygdala and its control over striatal neurophysiology in inter-individual vulnerability to develop compulsive heroin seeking.

My project selection, revolving around the concept of compulsivity and its role in drug addiction, is a reflection of the area of research that, right from
my beginnings as a psychology student, first sparked my curiosity and fuelled my ambition to learn more. Since those early days that spark has been
nurtured into a deeply rooted passion and drive to find out more, and to contribute myself to progress in research towards solving this puzzle. I am
fascinated by how compulsivity operates at a neural level: what neural architecture and mechanisms may support it, and how this might underpin
certain disorders, of which drug addiction is a key example. Drug addiction is a disorder of devastating consequences (from the level of the individual to
that of society as a whole), and one that is sorely lacking in effective treatments. A better understanding of the mechanisms of this disorder at a neural
level may light the way towards development of such treatments. As such, I am determined to get to the roots of the fundamental mechanisms of
compulsivity and how this plays into human disease, in an ambition to alleviate the suffering caused by this terrible disorder (and others that have
compulsivity in common as a transdiagnostic endophenotype). The supervision of someone with such a wealth of experience in the field as Prof Dalley
and the use of the experimental models and techniques used in his lab will allow me the opportunity to propel myself forward towards this aim.