| Send E-mail to: riw@usc.edu | |
| Telephone: 323-442-1980 | Fax: 323-442-3466 |
| Office: BMT 408a | Mail Code: 9112 HSC |
Education:
BS 1986 Animal Science - University of California, Davis
PhD 1991 Physiology - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship:
1991 - 1994 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Started at USC: 1999
Research Topics: Sex and drugs: behavioral neuroendocrinology, reward and reinforcement, affective behavior, limbic neuroanatomy
Research Description
Research in my laboratory investigates how gonadal steroids, particularly androgens, influence brain function. An ongoing research question concerns reward and possible addiction with anabolic steroid abuse. Although anabolic steroids were classified as controlled substances in 1991, their addiction potential remains unknown. We have shown that hamsters will self-administer testosterone, including self-administration directly into the brain. This suggests that anabolic steroids are rewarding, independent of their anabolic effects. Current studies are investigating links between anabolic steroids and opioids. We are also investigating changes in affective behavior (anxiety and depression) in response to steroid hormones and exercise. Our studies attempt to relate changes in behavior with morphologic and neurochemical changes in the brain to understand the neural mechanisms underlying addictive behavior and mood.
10 Selected Publications:
Click here to view all the publications for this faculty
Kanayama G,Brower KJ,Wood RI,Hudson JI,Pope HG Jr - Issues for DSM-V: clarifying the diagnostic criteria for anabolic-androgenic steroid dependence. - Am J Psychiatry [2009] Jun;166(6):642-5 PubMed
Gorton LM,Mahoney MM,Magorien JE,Lee TM,Wood RI - Estrogen Receptor Immunoreactivity in Late-Gestation Fetal Lambs. - Biol Reprod [2009] Jan 21;(): PubMed
Antzoulatos E,Magorien JE,Wood RI - Cell proliferation and survival in the mating circuit of adult male hamsters: effects of testosterone and sexual behavior. - Horm Behav [2008] Nov;54(5):735-40 PubMed
Vuckovi? MG,Wood RI,Holschneider DP,Abernathy A,Togasaki DM,Smith A,Petzinger GM,Jakowec MW - Memory, mood, dopamine, and serotonin in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-lesioned mouse model of basal ganglia injury. - Neurobiol Dis [2008] Nov;32(2):319-27 PubMed
Sato SM,Schulz KM,Sisk CL,Wood RI - Adolescents and androgens, receptors and rewards. - Horm Behav [2008] May;53(5):647-58 PubMed
Wood RI - Anabolic-androgenic steroid dependence? Insights from animals and humans. - Front Neuroendocrinol [2008] Oct;29(4):490-506 PubMed
Triemstra JL,Sato SM,Wood RI - Testosterone and nucleus accumbens dopamine in the male Syrian hamster. - Psychoneuroendocrinology [2008] Apr;33(3):386-94 PubMed
Wood RI - Sex and drugs: comment on "Evidence for involvement of erbeta and rgs9-2 in 17-beta estradiol enhancement of amphetamine-induced place preference behavior" by Silverman and Koenig. - Horm Behav [2007] Aug;52(2):143-5 PubMed
Ballard CL,Wood RI - Partner preference in male hamsters: steroids, sexual experience and chemosensory cues. - Physiol Behav [2007] May 16;91(1):1-8 PubMed
Nagypál A,Wood RI - Region-specific mechanisms for testosterone-induced Fos in hamster brain. - Brain Res [2007] Apr 13;1141():197-204 PubMed
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