Overview
The Clinical and Translational Addiction Neuroscience Laboratory is a neuroscience, cognition, and behavior research laboratory at Arizona State University led by Dr. Erica Grodin. Alcohol and substance use disorders are highly prevalent, costly to individuals and society, and often untreated. Our research seeks to understand the neurobiological and biological causes and consequences of addictive disorders. My current research addresses the following questions:
(1) What can behavioral and neural markers of addiction vulnerability tell us about addiction neurobiology?
The lab is interested in behavioral and neural processes that are interconnected with alcohol and substance use disorders, including sleep, emotion regulation, and craving. We use a combination of questionnaires, human laboratory assessments, and neuroimaging to investigate these processes.
(2) How can psychoneuroimmunology and microbiology inform our understanding of addiction?
Alcohol misuse impacts peripheral organs, including the gut, increasing intestinal permeability ("leaky gut") and altering the gut microbiome, which allows bacterial components from the gut to reach circulation. These gut-derived bacterial products are recognized by circulating immune cells and results in the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The lab is interested in understanding how inflammatory mechanisms and the gut microbiome influence alcohol use behaviors.
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Interested in joining the lab?
Graduate Students
- Dr. Grodin will be admitting one graduate student for the fall 2027 admission to Arizona State University's neuroscience, cognition, and behavior PhD program or through Arizona State University's clinical psychology PhD program. If you are interested, please contact Dr. Grodin at egrodin@asu.edu.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
- Dr. Grodin is recruiting undergraduate research assistants to join the laboratory. Undergraduate research assistants are expected to devote at least 10 hours per week to the lab, which will include recruiting participants, supporting data collection (running participants), data entry, data analysis, work on institutional review board applications, and manuscript writing. Undergraduate students may join the lab for course credit or as volunteers. To apply to join the lab, please email your CV to grodinresearchlab@gmail.com.