UCF’s Cali Calarco is studying how brain cells respond to nicotine and how changes at the cellular level may influence behaviors associated with addiction. The team is focused on the nucleus accumbens, an area of the brain involved in reward, learning, and behavior. They are particularly interested in mitochondria, the structures within cells that produce energy and that may play a role in drug-seeking behavior.

Calarco hopes that by increasing understanding of addiction at the molecular level, the research may contribute to more effective treatments for substance use disorder. “There aren’t that many substance use disorder treatments, and the ones available only work for a subset of people,” she says. “There is room for improvement in nicotine use disorder therapies, and new pathway targets may provide more effective treatments with fewer side effects.”

• Cali Calarco