Dorit Ron, PhD | Neuroscience Graduate Program

Professor

M_Neurology

415-502-7620

Signal Transduction, Molecular Neurobiology of Addiction

We use molecular biology, biochemistry and electrophysiology, in parallel with behavioral models, to study how normal signaling processes are altered upon exposure of rodents to alcohol and drugs of abuse, and how these changes lead to the development, maintenance or the prevention of addiction.

Current Projects

Identifying the function of the growth factors BDNF, GDNF and IGF1 in the CNS and in alcohol abuse disorders.
Determining the role of the mTor in aberrant synaptic plasticity induced by drugs of abuse.
Identifying the role of tyrosine kinases and phosphatases in alcohol abuse disorders.
Determining the role of the NMDA receptor in alcohol-mediated plasticity in the dorsal striatum.
Exploring the role of scaffolding proteins in the CNS and in alcohol abuse disorders.
Epigenetic mechanisms and addiction.
Identifying the role of HSP90 in alcohol abuse disorders.

Lab Members

Nadege Morrisot
Postdoctoral Fellow
[email protected]

Sophie Laguesse
Postdoctoral Fellow
[email protected]

Samuel Sakhai
Postdoctoral Fellow
[email protected]

Anna Fiorenza
Postdoctoral Fellow
[email protected]

Benjamin Dorn
Neuroscience Graduate Student
[email protected]

Khanhky Phamluong
Staff Research Associate
[email protected]

Ji Hwan Yu
Technician
[email protected]

Caitlin Castagnola
Student
[email protected]

Dana Kennedy
Student
[email protected]

Lab Website

Academic community service and committee membership:

PSPG Committee for Student Welfare

Publications

Paradoxical mTORC1-Dependent microRNA-mediated Translation Repression in the Nucleus Accumbens of Mice Consuming Alcohol Attenuates Glycolysis.

Ehinger Y, Laguesse S, Phamluong K, Salvi A, Hoisington ZW, Soneja D, Sei YJ, Nakamura K, Ron D

BDNF in Ventrolateral Orbitofrontal Cortex to Dorsolateral Striatum Circuit Moderates Alcohol Consumption and Gates Alcohol Habit.

Gunasekaran S, Moffat JJ, Epstein JD, Phamluong K, Ehinger Y, Ron D

Prosapip1 in the dorsal hippocampus mediates synaptic protein composition, long-term potentiation, and spatial memory.

Hoisington ZW, Gangal H, Phamluong K, Shukla C, Ehinger Y, Moffat JJ, Homanics GE, Wang J, Ron D

The small G-protein Rac1 in the dorsomedial striatum promotes alcohol-dependent structural plasticity and goal-directed learning in mice.

Hoisington ZW, Salvi A, Laguesse S, Ehinger Y, Shukla C, Phamluong K, Ron D

Sex Differences In The Interaction Between Alcohol And mTORC1.

Ehinger Y, Phamluong K, Ron D

The small G-protein Rac1 in the dorsomedial striatum promotes alcohol-dependent structural plasticity and goal-directed learning in mice.

Hoisington ZW, Salvi A, Laguesse S, Ehinger Y, Shukla C, Phamluong K, Ron D

Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 limits dopamine D1 receptor signaling in striatum and biases against heavy persistent alcohol drinking.

da Silva D, Matsui A, Murray EM, Mamais A, Authement ME, Shin JH, Shaw M, Ron D, Cookson MR, Alvarez VA

Alcohol Inhibits Glycolysis in the Nucleus Accumbens of Mice Through mTORC1-Dependent Repression of Translation.

D. Ron, Y. Ehinger, A. Salvi, K. Phamluong, Y. Sei, D. Sonja, E. Whiteley, S. Laguesse, K. Nakamura

The Small G-Protein Rac1 Promotes Neuroadaptations that Underlie Alcohol Use Disorder.

Zachary W. Hoisington, Alexandra Salvi, Khanhky Phamluong, Yann Ehinger, Dorit Ron

Identification of Novel BDNF-Specific Corticostriatal Circuitries.

Ehinger Y, Soneja D, Phamluong K, Salvi A, Ron D

The BDNF Val68Met polymorphism causes a sex specific alcohol preference over social interaction and also acute tolerance to the anxiolytic effects of alcohol, a phenotype driven by malfunction of BDNF in the ventral hippocampus of male mice.

Moffat JJ, Sakhai SA, Hoisington ZW, Ehinger Y, Ron D

Correction: mTORC1 in the orbitofrontal cortex promotes habitual alcohol seeking.

M_PEDS-NEONATOLOGY

Morisot N, Phamluong K, Ehinger Y, Berger AL, Moffat JJ, Ron D

Alcohol and the brain: from genes to circuits.

Egervari G, Siciliano CA, Whiteley EL, Ron D

Brain-specific inhibition of mTORC1 eliminates side effects resulting from mTORC1 blockade in the periphery and reduces alcohol intake in mice.

Ehinger Y, Zhang Z, Phamluong K, Soneja D, Shokat KM, Ron D

A non-hallucinogenic psychedelic analogue with therapeutic potential.

Cameron LP, Tombari RJ, Lu J, Pell AJ, Hurley ZQ, Ehinger Y, Vargas MV, McCarroll MN, Taylor JC, Myers-Turnbull D, Liu T, Yaghoobi B, Laskowski LJ, Anderson EI, Zhang G, Viswanathan J, Brown BM, Tjia M, Dunlap LE, Rabow ZT, Fiehn O, Wulff H, McCorvy JD, Lein PJ, Kokel D, Ron D, Peters J, Zuo Y, Olson DE

Growth Factors and Alcohol Use Disorder.

Liran M, Rahamim N, Ron D, Barak S

Investigating the link between serum concentrations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and behavioral measures in anxious alcohol-dependent individuals.

Portelli J, Farokhnia M, Deschaine SL, Battista JT, Lee MR, Li X, Ron D, Leggio L

Astrocytes and alcohol: cortical astrocytes regulate alcohol consumption and intoxication.

Moffat JJ, Ron D

cAMP-Fyn signaling in the dorsomedial striatum direct pathway drives excessive alcohol use.

Ehinger Y, Morisot N, Phamluong K, Sakhai SA, Soneja D, Adrover MF, Alvarez VA, Ron D

Differential correlation of serum BDNF and microRNA content in rats with rapid or late onset of heavy alcohol use.

Ehinger Y, Phamluong K, Darevesky D, Welman M, Moffat JJ, Sakhai SA, Whiteley EL, Berger AL, Laguesse S, Farokhnia M, Leggio L, Lordkipanidzé M, Ron D

mTORC1 in the orbitofrontal cortex promotes habitual alcohol seeking.

M_PEDS-NEONATOLOGY

Morisot N, Phamluong K, Ehinger Y, Berger AL, Moffat JJ, Ron D

Protein Translation and Psychiatric Disorders.

Laguesse S, Ron D

The Fyn kinase inhibitor, AZD0530, suppresses mouse alcohol self-administration and seeking.

Morisot N, Berger AL, Phamluong K, Cross A, Ron D

D1 receptor hypersensitivity in mice with low striatal D2 receptors facilitates select cocaine behaviors.

Dobbs LK, Kaplan AR, Bock R, Phamluong K, Shin JH, Bocarsly ME, Eberhart L, Ron D, Alvarez VA

Increasing Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) in medial prefrontal cortex selectively reduces excessive drinking in ethanol dependent mice.

Haun HL, Griffin WC, Lopez MF, Solomon MG, Mulholland PJ, Woodward JJ, McGinty JF, Ron D, Becker HC

Mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 and its downstream effector collapsin response mediator protein-2 drive reinstatement of alcohol reward seeking.

Ben Hamida S, Laguesse S, Morisot N, Park JH, Phuamluong K, Berger AL, Park KD, Ron D

Special issue on new technologies for alcohol research and treatment.

Ron D, Weiner J

Mice engineered to mimic a common Val66Met polymorphism in the BDNF gene show greater sensitivity to reversal in environmental contingencies.

Vandenberg A, Lin WC, Tai LH, Ron D, Wilbrecht L

GDNF and alcohol use disorder.

Barak S, Ahmadiantehrani S, Logrip ML, Ron D

Targeting the intracellular signaling "STOP" and "GO" pathways for the treatment of alcohol use disorders.

Ron D, Berger A

mTORC2 in the dorsomedial striatum of mice contributes to alcohol-dependent F-Actin polymerization, structural modifications, and consumption.

Laguesse S, Morisot N, Phamluong K, Sakhai SA, Ron D

mTORC1-dependent translation of collapsin response mediator protein-2 drives neuroadaptations underlying excessive alcohol-drinking behaviors.

Liu F, Laguesse S, Legastelois R, Morisot N, Ben Hamida S, Ron D

Prosapip1-Dependent Synaptic Adaptations in the Nucleus Accumbens Drive Alcohol Intake, Seeking, and Reward.

Laguesse S, Morisot N, Shin JH, Liu F, Adrover MF, Sakhai SA, Lopez MF, Phamluong K, Griffin WC, Becker HC, Bender KJ, Alvarez VA, Ron D

Fyn Signaling Is Compartmentalized to Dopamine D1 Receptor Expressing Neurons in the Dorsal Medial Striatum.

Phamluong K, Darcq E, Wu S, Sakhai SA, Ron D

Alcohol operant self-administration: Investigating how alcohol-seeking behaviors predict drinking in mice using two operant approaches.

Blegen MB, da Silva E Silva D, Bock R, Morisot N, Ron D, Alvarez VA

A new generation of mTORC1 inhibitor attenuates alcohol intake and reward in mice.

Morisot N, Novotny CJ, Shokat KM, Ron D

Periadolescent Maturation of GABAergic Hyperpolarization at the Axon Initial Segment.

Rinetti-Vargas G, Phamluong K, Ron D, Bender KJ

Altered sensitivity to the anxiolytic and rewarding properties of alcohol in mice which carry the BDNF valine 68 to methionine polymorphism.

mTORC1 is a key molecular transducer of alcohol-dependent plasticity, seeking and relapse.

Limited Excessive Voluntary Alcohol Drinking Leads to Liver Dysfunction in Mice.

Wegner SA, Pollard KA, Kharazia V, Darevsky D, Perez L, Roychowdhury S, Xu A, Ron D, Nagy LE, Hopf FW

Alcohol-dependent molecular adaptations of the NMDA receptor system.

Morisot N, Ron D

Region specific activation of the AKT and mTORC1 pathway in response to excessive alcohol intake in rodents.

Laguesse S, Morisot N, Phamluong K, Ron D

The Neurotrophic Factor Receptor p75 in the Rat Dorsolateral Striatum Drives Excessive Alcohol Drinking.

Darcq E, Morisot N, Phamluong K, Warnault V, Jeanblanc J, Longo FM, Massa SM, Ron D

Activation of the cAMP Pathway Induces RACK1-Dependent Binding of ß-Actin to BDNF Promoter.

Neasta J, Fiorenza A, He DY, Phamluong K, Kiely PA, Ron D

Molecular mechanisms underlying alcohol-drinking behaviours.

Ron D, Barak S

The First Alcohol Drink Triggers mTORC1-Dependent Synaptic Plasticity in Nucleus Accumbens Dopamine D1 Receptor Neurons.

Beckley JT, Laguesse S, Phamluong K, Morisot N, Wegner SA, Ron D

Chapter 13 mTOR and Drugs of Abuse.

Alcohol Elicits Functional and Structural Plasticity Selectively in Dopamine D1 Receptor-Expressing Neurons of the Dorsomedial Striatum.

Wang J, Cheng Y, Wang X, Roltsch Hellard E, Ma T, Gil H, Ben Hamida S, Ron D

The BDNF Valine 68 to Methionine Polymorphism Increases Compulsive Alcohol Drinking in Mice That Is Reversed by Tropomyosin Receptor Kinase B Activation.

Warnault V, Darcq E, Morisot N, Phamluong K, Wilbrecht L, Massa SM, Longo FM, Ron D

Striatal-enriched protein tyrosine phosphatase controls responses to aversive stimuli: implication for ethanol drinking.

Legastelois R, Darcq E, Wegner SA, Lombroso PJ, Ron D

Corticostriatal BDNF and alcohol addiction.

Logrip ML, Barak S, Warnault V, Ron D

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is an endogenous protector in the mesolimbic system against excessive alcohol consumption and relapse.

Barak S, Wang J, Ahmadiantehrani S, Ben Hamida S, Kells AP, Forsayeth J, Bankiewicz KS, Ron D

mTOR complex 1: a key player in neuroadaptations induced by drugs of abuse.

Neasta J, Barak S, Hamida SB, Ron D

Animal models of excessive alcohol consumption: recent advances and future challenges.

Becker HC, Ron D

Inhibition of striatal-enriched tyrosine phosphatase 61 in the dorsomedial striatum is sufficient to increased ethanol consumption.

Darcq E, Hamida SB, Wu S, Phamluong K, Kharazia V, Xu J, Lombroso P, Ron D

Intermittent ethanol access schedule in rats as a preclinical model of alcohol abuse.

Carnicella S, Ron D, Barak S

Chapter 9 From Signaling Pathways to Behavior The Light and Dark Sides of Alcohol.

Chromatin remodeling: a new landscape to treat harmful alcohol-use disorders.

Warnault V, Ron D

Protein tyrosine phosphatase a in the dorsomedial striatum promotes excessive ethanol-drinking behaviors.

Ben Hamida S, Darcq E, Wang J, Wu S, Phamluong K, Kharazia V, Ron D

RACK1 to the future--a historical perspective.

Ron D, Adams DR, Baillie GS, Long A, O'Connor R, Kiely PA

Cortical activation of accumbens hyperpolarization-active NMDARs mediates aversion-resistant alcohol intake.

Seif T, Chang SJ, Simms JA, Gibb SL, Dadgar J, Chen BT, Harvey BK, Ron D, Messing RO, Bonci A, Hopf FW

Nature Neurosci June 3, 2013 [epub ahead of print]

Barak S, Liu F, Ben Hamida S, Yowell QV, Neasta J, Kharazia V, Janak PH and Ron D.

Disruption of alcohol-related memories by mTORC1 inhibition prevents relapse.

Barak S, Liu F, Ben Hamida S, Yowell QV, Neasta J, Kharazia V, Janak PH, Ron D

Binge ethanol-drinking potentiates corticotropin releasing factor R1 receptor activity in the ventral tegmental area.

Sparta DR, Hopf FW, Gibb SL, Cho SL, Stuber GD, Messing RO, Ron D, Bonci A

Dopamine D2 receptor activation leads to an up-regulation of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor via Gß?-Erk1/2-dependent induction of Zif268.

Ahmadiantehrani S, Ron D

GDNF is a novel ethanol-responsive gene in the VTA: implications for the development and persistence of excessive drinking.

Ahmadiantehrani S, Barak S, Ron D

Addiction Biology January 9, 2013 [epub ahead of print]

Ahmadiantehrani S, Barak S and Ron D.

Alcohol: Clin Exp Res

Davies DL, Bortolato M, Finn DA, Ramaker MJ, Barak S, Ron D, Liang J, Olsen RW

J Neurochem

Ahmadiantehrani S and Ron D

Transl Psychiatry

Warnault V, Darcq E, Levine A, Barak S, Ron D.

BDNF-mediated regulation of ethanol consumption requires the activation of the MAP kinase pathway and protein synthesis.

Jeanblanc J, Logrip ML, Janak PH, Ron D

Ethanol-mediated facilitation of AMPA receptor function in the dorsomedial striatum: implications for alcohol drinking behavior.

Wang J, Ben Hamida S, Darcq E, Zhu W, Gibb SL, Lanfranco MF, Carnicella S, Ron D

Recent advances in the discovery and preclinical testing of novel compounds for the prevention and/or treatment of alcohol use disorders.

Davies DL, Bortolato M, Finn DA, Ramaker MJ, Barak S, Ron D, Liang J, Olsen RW

Addic Biol

Rewal M, Donahue R, Gill TM, Nie H, Ron D, Janak PH.

Current Topics in Behavioral Neuroscience-Behavioral Neurobiology of Alcohol Addiction

Ron D, Messing RO

J Biol Chem

Neasta J, Kiely PA, He DY, Adams DR, O'Connor R, Ron D.

J Neurosci

Ben Hamida S, Neasta J, Lasek AW, Kharazia V, Zou M, Carnicella S, Janak PH, Ron D.

J Neurosci

Wang J, Ben Hamida S, Darcq E, Zhu W, Gibb SL, Lanfranco MF, Carnicella S and Ron D.

RACK1, A multifaceted scaffolding protein: Structure and function.

Adams DR, Ron D, Kiely PA

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor reverses alcohol-induced allostasis of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system: implications for alcohol reward and seeking.

Barak S, Carnicella S, Yowell QV, Ron D

Striatal involvement in human alcoholism and alcohol consumption, and withdrawal in animal models.

Chen G, Cuzon Carlson VC, Wang J, Beck A, Heinz A, Ron D, Lovinger DM, Buck KJ

AKT signaling pathway in the nucleus accumbens mediates excessive alcohol drinking behaviors.

Neasta J, Ben Hamida S, Yowell QV, Carnicella S, Ron D

Ethanol-mediated long-lasting adaptations of the NR2B-containing NMDA receptors in the dorsomedial striatum.

Wang J, Lanfranco MF, Gibb SL, Ron D

Extrasynaptic delta-containing GABAA receptors in the nucleus accumbens dorsomedial shell contribute to alcohol intake.

Nie H, Rewal M, Gill TM, Ron D, Janak PH

Lyn kinase regulates mesolimbic dopamine release: implication for alcohol reward.

Gibb SL, Jeanblanc J, Barak S, Yowell QV, Yaka R, Ron D

J Neurochem

Gibb SL, Ben Hamida S, Lanfranco MF, Ron D

J Neurochem

Gibb SL, Hamida SB, Lanfranco MF, Ron D.

Signaling Pathways Mediating Alcohol Effects.

Role for mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 signaling in neuroadaptations underlying alcohol-related disorders.

Neasta J, Ben Hamida S, Yowell Q, Carnicella S, Ron D

Nucleus accumbens-derived glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor is a retrograde enhancer of dopaminergic tone in the mesocorticolimbic system.

Wang J, Carnicella S, Ahmadiantehrani S, He DY, Barak S, Kharazia V, Ben Hamida S, Zapata A, Shippenberg TS, Ron D

Regulation of operant oral ethanol self-administration: a dose-response curve study in rats.

Carnicella S, Yowell QV, Ron D

Noribogaine, but not 18-MC, exhibits similar actions as ibogaine on GDNF expression and ethanol self-administration.

Carnicella S, He DY, Yowell QV, Glick SD, Ron D

Long-lasting adaptations of the NR2B-containing NMDA receptors in the dorsomedial striatum play a crucial role in alcohol consumption and relapse.

Wang J, Lanfranco MF, Gibb SL, Yowell QV, Carnicella S, Ron D

GDNF is an endogenous negative regulator of ethanol-mediated reward and of ethanol consumption after a period of abstinence.

Carnicella S, Ahmadiantehrani S, Janak PH, Ron D

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor reverses ethanol-mediated increases in tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity via altering the activity of heat shock protein 90.

He DY, Ron D

Dynorphin is a downstream effector of striatal BDNF regulation of ethanol intake.

Logrip ML, Janak PH, Ron D

Mind bomb-2 is an E3 ligase that ubiquitinates the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor NR2B subunit in a phosphorylation-dependent manner.

Jurd R, Thornton C, Wang J, Luong K, Phamluong K, Kharazia V, Gibb SL, Ron D

Protein kinase C and alcohol addiction.

Newton PM, Ron D

Ethanol induces long-term facilitation of NR2B-NMDA receptor activity in the dorsal striatum: implications for alcohol drinking behavior.

Wang J, Carnicella S, Phamluong K, Jeanblanc J, Ronesi JA, Chaudhri N, Janak PH, Lovinger DM, Ron D

Autoregulation of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor expression: implications for the long-lasting actions of the anti-addiction drug, Ibogaine.

He DY, Ron D

Cocaine enhances NMDA receptor-mediated currents in ventral tegmental area cells via dopamine D5 receptor-dependent redistribution of NMDA receptors.

Schilström B, Yaka R, Argilli E, Suvarna N, Schumann J, Chen BT, Carman M, Singh V, Mailliard WS, Ron D, Bonci A

Insulin-like growth factor I controls a mutually exclusive association of RACK1 with protein phosphatase 2A and beta1 integrin to promote cell migration.

Kiely PA, O'Gorman D, Luong K, Ron D, O'Connor R

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor mediates the desirable actions of the anti-addiction drug ibogaine against alcohol consumption.

He DY, McGough NN, Ravindranathan A, Jeanblanc J, Logrip ML, Phamluong K, Janak PH, Ron D

Spatial and temporal regulation of RACK1 function and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor activity through WD40 motif-mediated dimerization.

Thornton C, Tang KC, Phamluong K, Luong K, Vagts A, Nikanjam D, Yaka R, Ron D

Fyn kinase and NR2B-containing NMDA receptors regulate acute ethanol sensitivity but not ethanol intake or conditioned reward.

Yaka R, Tang KC, Camarini R, Janak PH, Ron D

Cellular adaptation to chronic ethanol results in altered compartmentalization and function of the scaffolding protein RACK1.

Vagts AJ, He DY, Yaka R, Ron D

Corticotropin-releasing factor requires CRF binding protein to potentiate NMDA receptors via CRF receptor 2 in dopamine neurons.

Ungless MA, Singh V, Crowder TL, Yaka R, Ron D, Bonci A

Scaffolding of Fyn kinase to the NMDA receptor determines brain region sensitivity to ethanol.

Yaka R, Phamluong K, Ron D

H-Ras modulates N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor function via inhibition of Src tyrosine kinase activity.

Thornton C, Yaka R, Dinh S, Ron D

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP(1-38)) enhances N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor function and brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression via RACK1.

Yaka R, He DY, Phamluong K, Ron D