Kristi Anne Kohlmeier
  • Source: Scopus
1994 …2024

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Primary fields of research

Neurobiology of drug addiction

CNS control of states of arousal and sleep

_____________________________________________

Levels of arousal underlie whether an organism is awake or asleep and in some sleep disorders, can be regulated improperly. Inappropriate levels of arousal are also associated with drug addiction behaviors. Our laboratory is interested in elucidating the neurobiology underlying arousal with the hope that we can identify targets for managing or restoring appropriate and adaptive levels of arousal associated with human behaviors.

Addiction:

Individuals who are drug addicted exhibit motivated drug seeking behavior. This is a highly aroused state in which the focus of the addict is entirely directed towards acquisition of the drug of choice. One strategy to combat addiction is to decrease the prioritized motivational value of the drug by targeting levels of arousal.  Drug addiction is a disease of the brain, not a personal choice, which highlights the need for further research to define novel targets to combat this devastating mental condition.   Our group conducts experiments designed to elucidate the neurobiology underlying excitation of neural areas involved in arousal by drugs of abuse, with the hope that reduction of this arousal will diminish drug reward and thereby facilitate abstinence.

Sleep regulation and circadian rhythms:

During a 24 hour day, humans cycle from different behavior states spanning the gamut from highly aroused to deep sleep.  High levels of arousal are paramount for the focus of attention required for high-levels of cognition and complex learning; however, the function(s) of the states of sleep remains a mystery.   One approach to elucidation of the function of sleep is to determine the neurobiology underlying the elimination of wakefulness and generation of the states of sleep.  Accordingly, work in our laboratory is conducted to elucidate the neuroactive chemicals involved in mediation of sleep and the level of arousal.  Moreover, we investigate changes in sleep patterning associated with other arousal disorders, such as depression and stress.  In addition, we examine the actions pharmacologic agents have on activity levels of neurons importantly involved in generation of arousal state to gain understanding of the mechanisms of action of clinically relevant drugs.  

 

Technical Specializations:

Patch Clamp Electrophysiology in brain slices

Immunohistochemistry

 

CV

Kristi Anne Kohlmeier

Associate Professor (2009)

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: +45 35336055

 

Active External Funding:

    Philip Moris External Research Program - 1.4 million dk

    Novo - 150k dk

 

Education:

 PhDNeuroscience, University of California at Los Angeles, USA
 CPhilNeuroscience, University of California at Los Angeles, USA
 BAMarine Biology and Cinematic Studies (Double Major)
  University of California at Berkeley, USA
 
 
Post-Doctoral Positions:
University of British Columbia, Department of Psychiatry
New York Medical College, Department of Physiology
 
Previous Faculty Positions:
Assistant Research Professor, New York Medical College
 
 

Keywords

  • Former Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • Neurobiology of Drug Addiction
  • CNS Control of Behavioural State

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or