About Chris

Dr. Chris Pierce has led the Laboratory of Addiction Neuroscience since 1997, beginning at the Boston University School of Medicine and moving to the UPenn School of Medicine in 2008. A Kentucky native (and still a passionate supporter of Wildcat basketball), Chris received his undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky, where he first participated in neuroscience research in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Bardo. He received a PhD in neuroscience and psychology from Indiana University in 1993, where his mentor was Dr. George Rebec. Chris continued his training as a post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Peter Kalivas’ laboratory at Washington State University.

Honors

Jacob P. Waletzky Memorial Award for Innovative Research in Drug Addiction and Alcoholism, Society of Neuroscience, 2008

Joseph Cochin Young Investigator Award, College on Problems of Drug Dependence, 2006

NIDA Independent Scientist Award, K02 Research Career Development Award, 2006

J. Stewart and Dagmar K. Riley Dissertation Year Fellowship, awarded to the outstanding student in the Indiana University Graduate School, 1992

Graduate with Distinction, University of Kentucky College of Arts and Science, 1988

Graduate with Honors, University of Kentucky Department of Psychology, 1988

Oswald Research and Creativity Scholarship, University of Kentucky, 1988

Phi Beta Kappa Scholarly Research Award, University of Kentucky, 1988

Griffin Award, Kentucky Academy of Science, outstanding presentation, 1988

Sigma Xi, Scientific Research Honor Society, 1987

Omicron Delta Kappa, Leadership Honor Society, 1987

Psi Chi, Psychology Honor Society, 1986

Some of Chris’s Publications

Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) antagonists attenuate cocaine priming- and cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking
Kumaresan V, Yuan M, Yee J, Famous KR, Anderson SM, Schmidt HD, Pierce RC. Behavioural Brain Research, September 2009. 202: 238-244.

Phosphorylation-dependent trafficking of GluR2-containing AMPA receptors in the nucleus accumbens plays a critical role in the reinstatement of cocaine seeking
Famous KR, Kumaresan V, Sadri-Vakili G, Schmidt HD, Mierke DF, Cha JH, Pierce RC. Journal of Neuroscience, October 2008. 28:11061-11070.

Nanomolar concentrations of pregnenolone sulfate enhance striatal dopamine overflow in vivo
Sadri-Vakili G, Janis GC, Pierce RC, Gibbs TT, Farb DH. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, September 2008. 327:840-845.

Deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens shell attenuates cocaine priming-induced reinstatement of drug seeking in rats
Vassoler FM, Schmidt HD, Gerard ME, Famous KR, Ciraulo DA, Kornetsky C, Knapp CM, Pierce RC. Journal of Neuroscience, August 2008. 28:8735-8739.

CaMKII: a biochemical bridge linking accumbens dopamine and glutamate systems in cocaine seeking
Anderson SM, Famous KR, Sadri-Vakili G, Kumaresan V, Schmidt HD, Bass CE, Terwilliger EF, Cha JH, Pierce RC. Nature Neuroscience, March 2008. 11(3):344-353.

When administered into the nucleus accumbens core or shell, the NMDA receptor antagonist AP-5 reinstates cocaine-seeking behavior in the rat
Famous KR, Schmidt HD, Pierce RC. Neuroscience Letters, June 2007. 420(2):169-173.

Subchronic administration of l-DOPA to adult rats with a unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesion of dopamine neurons results in a sensitization of enhanced GABA release in the substantia nigra, pars reticulata.
Yamamoto N, Pierce RC, Soghomonian JJ. Brain Res, December 2006. 1123(1):196-200.

Systemic administration of a dopamine, but not a serotonin or norepinephrine, transporter inhibitor reinstates cocaine seeking in the rat.
Schmidt HD, Pierce RC. Behav Brain Res, November 2006. 175(1):189-94.

Cooperative activation of D1-like and D2-like dopamine receptors in the nucleus accumbens shell is required for the reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior in the rat.
Schmidt HD, Pierce RC. Neuroscience, October 2006. 142(2):451-61.

Stimulation of D1-like or D2 dopamine receptors in the shell, but not the core, of the nucleus accumbens reinstates cocaine-seeking behaviour in the rat.
Schmidt HD, Anderson SM, Pierce RC. Eur J Neurosci, January 2006. 23(1):219-28.

Anatomy and pharmacology of cocaine priming-induced reinstatement of drug seeking.
Schmidt HD, Anderson SM, Famous KR, Kumaresan V, Pierce RC. Eur J Pharmacol, December 2005. 526(1-3):65-76.

Administration of the D2 Dopamine Receptor Antagonist Sulpiride into the Shell, but not the Core, of the Nucleus Accumbens Attenuates Cocaine Priming-Induced Reinstatement of Drug Seeking
Anderson SM, Schmidt HD, Pierce RC. Neuropsychopharmacology, October 2005. 10(1):1-10.

D1-like and D2 dopamine receptor antagonists administered into the shell subregion of the rat nucleus accumbens decrease cocaine, but not food, reinforcement.
Bari AA, Pierce RC. Neuroscience, August 2005. 135(3):959-68.

The mesolimbic dopamine system: The final common pathway for the reinforcing effect of drugs of abuse.
Pierce RC, Kumaresan V. Neurosci Biobehav Rev., August 2005. .

Cocaine-induced alterations in dopamine receptor signaling: implications for reinforcement and reinstatement.
Anderson SM, Pierce RC. Pharmacol Ther., June 2005. 106(3):389-403.