Building on their earlier work showing that appetite-regulating peptides reduce alcohol intake via the paraventricular thalamus, the team has turned their attention to cocaine — with striking results. Their new EBioMedicine study finds that tirzepatide, a GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist approved … Read More
We’ve long known that appetite-regulating peptides play a role in alcohol use disorder — but where in the brain does this happen? Our latest study points to a surprising player: the paraventricular thalamus (PVT). In our recent paper, we found … Read More
One in nine Americans will undergo a surgical procedure during their lifetime; for some, the treatment of postoperative pain represents their first prolonged exposure to an opioid. New persistent opioid use (NPOU)—defined as continued use beyond the typical three-month recovery … Read More
On June 2, 2025, Antonia, Enzo, and colleagues published a study in the British Journal of Pharmacology titled ‘A GLP-1R/Y1 receptor/Y2 receptor triple agonist decreases fentanyl-evoked dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens and attenuates fentanyl taking and seeking in rats’. … Read More
On July 10th, researchers from the Jerlhag and Schmidt laboratories published groundbreaking findings in European Neuropsychopharmacology demonstrating that semaglutide—a GLP-1R medication currently used for diabetes and weight management—significantly reduces cocaine-seeking behaviors in laboratory studies. The study, titled “Semaglutide suppresses cocaine … Read More
Austin Pothikamjorn has officially graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and is leaving the Schmidt Lab to begin an exciting new chapter. He will be joining the Division of Addiction Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA … Read More
Recent studies show that systemic administration of a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist is sufficient to attenuate cocaine seeking. However, the neural mechanisms mediating these effects and the role of endogenous central GLP-1 signaling in cocaine seeking remain unknown. Here, … Read More
Dr. Schmidt will deliver a talk at the National Academies on Tuesday, September 10th, 2024. The event is part of a one-day public workshop organized by a planning committee from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. This workshop … Read More
This summer, the Schmidt Lab was delighted to welcome Lucy Olcott, a member of Syracuse University’s Class of 2025, as a summer intern. During her short time with us, Lucy made significant contributions to several complex behavioral projects, enhancing our … Read More
After five years of working in the Schmidt Lab, Riley Merkel (B.A.) is headed west! Congratulations to Riley on her acceptance to Stanford University School of Medicine for graduate studies! Riley made significant contributions to the field of addiction neuroscience … Read More