Yavin Shaham, Ph.D., Senior Investigator
Section Chief, Neurobiology of Relapse Section 
Ph.D. - 1992, Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
M.A. - 1988, Psychology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
B.S. - 1986, Biology & Psychology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
RESEARCH INTERESTS
We use rat models to study the cellular and neuroanatomical mechanisms that underlie relapse to drug and palatable food seeking induced by stressors and drug-associated cues (Yavin Shaham group). We also study molecular, cellular, and electrophysiological mechanisms that mediate the learning of associations between drugs and the environment in which they are administered (Bruce Hope group). Our current research projects include:
- The role of feeding peptides in reinstatement of palatable food seeking
- The neuroanatomy of context-induced reinstatement of heroin seeking
- The role of drug-induced neuroadaptations in incubation of drug craving
- The neuropharmacology of incubation of conditioned fear
- Development of novel procedures to identify neurons selectively activated by drug and drug-associated cues in animal models of drug addiction
Selected Publications:
1. Grimm JW, Hope B, Wise RA, Shaham Y (2001) Incubation of cocaine craving after withdrawal. Nature 412:141-142
2. Grimm JW, Lu L, Hayashi T, Su TP, Hope BT, Shaham Y (2003) Time dependent increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein levels within the mesolimbic dopamine system following withdrawal from cocaine: implications for incubation of cocaine craving. The Journal of Neuroscience 23:742-747
3. Lu L, Dempsey J, Liu S, Bossert J, Shaham Y (2004) A single infusion of BDNF into the ventral tegmental area induces long-lasting potentiation of cocaine-seeking after withdrawal. The Journal of Neuroscience 24:1604-1611
4. Bossert JM, Liu S, Lu L, Shaham Y (2004) A role of ventral tegmental area glutamate in contextual cue-induced relapse to heroin seeking. The Journal of Neuroscience, 24: 10726-10730
5. Lu L, Hope BT, Dempsey J, Liu S, Bossert JM, Shaham Y (2005) Central amygdala ERK signaling pathway is critical to incubation of cocaine craving. Nature Neuroscience 8:212-219
6. Ghitza UE, Nair SG, Golden SA, Gray SM, Uejima JL, Bossert JM, Shaham Y (2007) Peptide YY3-36 decreases reinstatement of high-fat food seeking during dieting in a rat relapse model. The Journal of Neuroscience 27:11522-11532
7. Bossert JM, Poles G, Wihbey K, Koya U, Shaham Y (2007) Differential effects of blockade of dopamine D1-family receptors in nucleus accumbens core or shell on reinstatement of heroin seeking induced by contextual and discrete cues. The Journal of Neuroscience 27:12655-12663
8. Conrad KL, Tseng K, Uejima J, Reimers J, Heng L, Shaham Y, Marinelli M, Wolf ME (2008) Formation of accumbens GluR2-lacking AMPA receptors mediates incubation of cocaine craving. Nature 454:118-121
9. Pickens CL, Golden SA, Adams-Deutsch T, Nair SG, Shaham Y (2009) Long-lasting incubation of conditioned fear in rats. Biological Psychiatry 65:881-886
10. Lu L, Wang X, Wu P, Zhao M, Morales M, Harvey BK, Hoffer BJ, Shaham Y (2009) Role of ventral tegmental area GDNF in incubation of cocaine craving. Biological Psychiatry 66:137-145
