Seminar Series

Upcoming Seminar

After the High: Neurobehavioral investigation of motivational and cognitive deficits during opiate withdrawal
Dr. Briac Halbout, CSU Long Beach

March 5, 2026
4:00pm-5:00pm via Zoom

Join 3/5 Zoom
Meeting ID: 845 7121 0189

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Opioid addiction is a relapsing disorder marked by uncontrolled drug use and reduced interest in normally rewarding activities. This research examines how different components of motivated behavior are altered during early and late opioid withdrawal. Using an animal model of chronic morphine exposure, this work investigates multiple psychological processes that guide reward-seeking behavior: hedonic sensitivity (how much something is "liked"), motivation (how much effort an individual is willing to exert), and goal-directed control (the ability to flexibly adjust behavior when outcomes/rewards change). Rather than being uniformly disrupted, these processes are affected in distinct ways during early withdrawal, prolonged abstinence, and following drug re-exposure.

Finally, I will briefly introduce ongoing work aimed at identifying the neural circuits that underlie these time-dependent changes. By examining how opioid exposure and withdrawal reshape activity in brain systems involved in motivation and action selection, we hope to better understand why relapse risk fluctuates over time and how targeted interventions might promote the selection of more adaptive behaviors.