# Neuropharmacology Core

> **NIH NIH P30** · VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $281,294

## Abstract

Project Summary – Neuropharmacology Core
The Neuropharmacology Core is a new core that proposes to serve NIH-funded investigators affiliated with the
P30 grant by increasing their access to key neurochemical and behavioral methodologies that are fundamental
to advancement of preclinical drug abuse research. These methodologies will include techniques to assess
expression and function of receptors in both tissue homogenates and tissue slices, in vivo microdialysis
techniques to assess neurotransmitter levels in target brain areas in awake and behaving animals, and
behavioral techniques to assess rewarding/reinforcing effects of drugs under different physiological or
environmental conditions. Although this is a new core, the investigators have decades of expertise in their
respective areas and a history of collaboration both with each other and with other VCU investigators.
The rationale for this core is founded on the proposition that drugs of abuse act on molecular targets to
modulate activity in brain reward systems and alter behavior, and preclinical drug abuse research benefits from
coordinated investigation of drug effects along the entire continuum from molecular to behavioral levels of
analysis. However, individual grants typically focus on a portion of this continuum and often lack resources for
rapid and rational extension of important findings to other, related research domains. As one example, a
synthetic chemistry grant might identify a new molecular entity with promising analgesic effects but lack
resources for preclinical assessment of that compound's abuse liability or potential utility as a treatment for
substance use disorders. As another example, a grant focused on behavioral studies to treat drug abuse might
identify an effective medication strategy but lack resources to investigate candidate mechanisms that underlie
medication efficacy. The Neuropharmacology Core proposes to address these gaps and strengthen the
breadth and impact of drug abuse research at VCU. Studies of receptor expression and function (Aim 1), in
vivo microdialysis (Aim 2), and behavioral expression of reward/reinforcement (Aim 3) will enable investigators
to evaluate effects of pathological states or of acute/chronic drug treatments on neural systems and behavioral
endpoints known to be important in drug abuse.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9944640
- **Project number:** 5P30DA033934-07
- **Recipient organization:** VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Sidney S Negus
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $281,294
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9944640

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9944640, Neuropharmacology Core (5P30DA033934-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9944640. Licensed CC0.

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