Abbigale Lade

University of Pittsburgh, Biomedical Graduate Program

Email:

Research Interests

In the summer of 2004 I had the opportunity to work in the Behavioral Neuropharmacology lab of Dr. Thanos as part of the SULI program. My study investigated the effect of the cannabinoid CB1 antagonist SR141716 on the food and ethanol intake of female obese and lean Zucker rats. The objective of our study was to elucidate the role of the cannabinoid system in obesity and alcohol abuse. Previous work indicates that the cannabinoid system plays a role in mediating appetite, and may also be involved in drug-related reward circuitry, including that induced by alcohol abuse. Our hypothesis was that treating rats with a drug that blocks the cannabinoid CB1 receptors would cause a decrease in food and ethanol consumption, and this was well supported by our data. Dr. Thanos gave me a great deal of independence in this study, including the opportunity to help determine critical aspects of the protocol. I was responsible for conducting the study; gathering, organizing, and analyzing the data; as well doing background research and writing parts of the manuscript. This was a challenging and labor-intensive experience that was absolutely invaluable for my development as a scientist, as it taught me volumes about administering and designing a study.

I am currently enrolled in the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Graduate Program at the University of Pittsburgh, pursuing a PhD through the School of Medicine. My first rotation will be in a lab that is working on g enomic and proteomic analyses of HPV-induced cervical cancers.

Brookhaven National Lab
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000
(631)344-8000

One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE’s Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit, applied science and technology organization.

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