Linda
A. Dykstra, Ph.D.
William Rand Kenan Jr. Professor
Department of Psychology
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
CB# 3270
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3270
ldykstra@unc.edu
Research Interests
Behavioral and Pharmacological Investigations of Opioid Analgesics, Drugs of Abuse and Other Psychoactive Compounds
In the past 25 years, Dr. Dykstra’s research has focused on the study of opioid analgesics, with particular focus on opioids that are less likely to produce physical dependence and abuse. Research in Dr. Dykstra's laboratory has examined the relationship between the analgesic effects of opioid analgesics and their interaction with specific opioid receptor types. A more recent research interest includes investigations of genetically-altered mice with relevance to drug dependence and the development of models of mouse behavior for examining behavioral phenotypes related to a range of behavioral disorders. Ongoing research projects include 1) investigations in mice lacking specific transporter genes, 2) investigations of the analgesic effects of opioid agonists in mice deficient in the NR1 subunit of NMDA and 3) investigations of the role of stress in the analgesic and reinforcing effects of various drugs of abuse in mice deficient in cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2).
Courses Taught
Undergraduate
Drugs and Human Behavior
Behavioral Pharmacology
Graduate
Psychopharmacology of Drugs of Abuse
Recent Publications
Allen, R.M., Dykstra, L.A. and Carelli, R.M. (2007) Continuous exposure to a competitive NMDA receptor antagonist facilitates escalation of cocaine consumption in rats. Psychopharmacology 191: 341-351.
Ward, S.J. and Dykstra, L.A. (2007) Attenuation of cue-induced reinstatement of ensure ® but not corn oil seeking by the cannabinoid CB1 antagonists, SR141716A and CB1 knockout in mice. Neuropsychopharm
Carrigan, K. A. and Dykstra. L.A. (2007) Behavioral effects of morphine and cocaine in M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor-deficient mice. Psychopharmacology 191: 985-993.
Fischer, B.D. and Dykstra, L.A. (2006) Interactions between an NMDA antagonist and low-efficacy opioid receptor agonists in assays of schedule-controlled responding and thermal nociception. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 318:1300-1306.