News
Dr. Schmidt Presented at the 2024 NIDA-NIAAA Frontiers in Addiction Research Mini-Convention
On October 4, 2024, Dr. Schmidt delivered a talk at the annual NIDA-NIAAA Frontiers in Addiction Research Mini-Convention, hosted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The event, held … Read More
Maggie Zhou Presents Her Rotating Experience on September 7th
Maggie Zhou, a second-year graduate student in the Neuroscience Graduate Group (NGG) at the University of Pennsylvania, recently shared insights from her summer rotation at the Schmidt Lab. During her time at the lab, Maggie had a rewarding and enriching … Read More
Dr. Schmidt’s Upcoming Talk at the National Academies
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
Lucy Olcott: Visiting Scholar
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
Riley Merkel Accepted to PhD Program at Stanford University
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
Dr. Schmidt Interviewed by the Scientific American
“Semaglutide’s story becomes even more complicated in drug addiction. Addictive drugs such as cocaine and opioids are generally thought to “hijack” the brain’s natural reward pathways, says Heath Schmidt, a neuropharmacologist at the University of Pennsylvania. Over time, the brain … Read More
Calcitonin receptor signaling in nucleus accumbens D1R- and D2R-expressing medium spiny neurons bidirectionally alters opioid taking in male rats
The high rates of relapse associated with current medications used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) necessitate research that expands our understanding of the neural mechanisms regulating opioid taking to identify molecular substrates that could be targeted by novel pharmacotherapies … Read More
Schmidt Lab Findings Cited by the Wall Street Journal
“We’re talking about a class of medications that could have efficacy in treating a variety of addictions: cocaine, opioids, nicotine, alcohol, all different addictive drugs with very different pharmacology,” said Heath Schmidt, a neuroscientist studying addiction at the University of … Read More
Schmidt Lab in The Atlantic
Two Schmidt Lab papers were recently cited in The Atlantic article, Did Scientists Accidentally Invent an Addiction Drug? , by Sarah Zhang.
Our nicotine findings highlighted by the Insider
Our recent publication, “Liraglutide attenuates nicotine self-administration as well as nicotine seeking and hyperphagia during withdrawal in male and female rats”, and nicotine work were highlighted in an article by Insider.