Richard Thielen Adjunct Assistant Research Professor, (past)

The aim of my research is to investigate the neurochemical mechanisms involved in neural adaptation to the presence of ethanol. These studies included understanding the involvement of neurotransmitter systems in mediating tolerance to the effects of ethanol as well as looking at systems involved in sensitization of responses to ethanol. Current approaches involve primarily studying the serotonergic system using in vivo microdialysis to look at immediate responses to drug application. No-net flux microdialysis is also used to examine long-lasting changes to basal neurotransmitter function in response to acute and chronic exposure of animals to ethanol.

Alcoholism, Neurochemistyry, Neuropharmacology