Lucy A. Ward, B.A.

Research Interests

My primary research interests include cellular mechanisms underlying addiction, stress, motivation, and executive function, as well as pharmacology and the reward center of the brain. These interests involve gaining understanding of neural circuitry underlying motivated behaviors, stress-related maladaptive changes in the brain that contribute to addiction, the effects of drug use in adolescence, treatment of substance withdrawal, and developing therapeutic interventions for individuals struggling with mental disorders and substance abuse.

As an undergraduate researcher at the University of Colorado, I participated in research examining functional differences in heterogeneous neuronal subpopulations involved in the experience of reward and stress. My current work focuses on the participation of kappa opioid receptor activation in the transition from controlled to compulsive opioid intake and the experience of opioid withdrawal-induced hyperalgesia and hyperkatifeia. In future research, I hope to expand into exploration of the involvement of neural stress systems in drug dependence, different neuronal subpopulations contributing to the experience of addiction, and neuropharmacological targets for the treatment of substance use disorder.