| Location within campus: | Annex to the General Animal Facility of FES Iztacala. |
| Phone: | 55 5623 1333 ext #39748 |
| Head of Laboratory: | Dr. Florencio Miranda Doctorate in Psychology. Full Professor C. fmirandah@yahoo.com |
| Researchers affiliated to the laboratory: | Juan Carlos Jiménez jimenezmejia90@hotmail.com Laura N. Cedillo cedillolaura@hotmail.com Rosa Isela Ruíz-García iselaruizg@hotmail.com |
| Research lines per researcher: | Neurobiology of Addiction and Mood Disorders. |
Drug addiction, also known by the American Psychiatric Association as substance dependence, is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by the compulsive seeking and consumption of a drug, loss of control over its use, and the emergence of negative emotional states when the drug is not consumed. Drug addiction can be considered as an imbalance in the brain as it alters its structure and function. These changes can persist for extended periods and lead to dangerous behaviors that may or may not result in criminal activities. All drugs of abuse, including alcohol, directly or indirectly stimulate the brain’s reward system. Although this system is highly complex and involves multiple structures, the mesocorticolimbic dopamine pathway, particularly the projection from the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex, plays a crucial role in the expression of the addictive effects of drugs. It has recently been suggested that this system is also involved in the expression of mood disorders. In our laboratory, we are interested in evaluating the involvement of this system in the behavioral expression of drug addiction, as well as certain phenomena related to mood disorders. We utilize behavioral techniques and some derived from the field of neuroscience.
Sandoval-Sánchez, A. R., Cedillo L. N., Jiménez, J. C., Ruíz-García, I., & Miranda, F. (2020). Administration of low doses of the 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT attenuates the discriminative signal of amphetamine in the conditioned taste aversion procedure. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 172932. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2020.172932
Cedillo, L. N. , Ruíz-García, R. I., Jiménez, J. C., & Miranda, F. (2019). Effect of coadministration of the GABAB agonist baclofen and the 5-HT2C agonist Ro60-0175 on the expression of amphetamine-induced locomotor sensitization. Experimental Brain Research, 237(7), 1691–1697. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-019-05540-z
Acosta-García, J., Jiménez J. C., & Miranda F. (2017). Additive effects of coadministration of A2A receptor agonist CGS-21680 and mGluR5 antagonist MPEP on the development and expression of methamphetamine-Induced locomotor sensitization in rats. Journal of Drug and Alcohol Research, 6, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.4303/jdar/236038
Cedillo, L. N., Ruíz, R., Jiménez, J. C., & Miranda, F. (2018). Relevancia Clínica de los Receptores GABAB en el Tratamiento de la Adicción a las Drogas. Revista Mexicana de Neurociencias. 19(6) 32-42
https://doi.org/10.24875/RMN.M18000013
Jiménez, J. C., & Miranda, F. (2017). El agonista del receptor de serotonina-2C Ro 60-0175 decrementa la expresión de la sensibilización locomotora inducida por etanol. Acta de Investigación Psicológica Elsevier, 2017, 7, 2823-2831. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aipprr.2017.11.003
www.psicologia.unam.mx/acta-de-investigacion-psicologica/
| Entry profile of potential thesis students: | Graduates from health-related programs with elementary knowledge of Experimental Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, and Statistics. Interest in basic research, schedule availability, and commitment to learning and knowledge construction through research processes. |