Research Techniques —COPY

Behavior

Most of the questions that we ask in the lab center around exploring the neural mechanisms of behavioral phenomena that have been observed in humans. Before we can begin to explore how the brain mediates these behaviors we must first find a reliable way to observe and quantitate these behaviors in rodents. 

To achieve this, we use a wide array of behavioral assays including Pavlovian and operant conditioning, and behavioral economics analyses. We've developed innovative approaches such as Structured Tracking of Alcohol Reinforcement (STAR), which allows us to categorize subjects based on their alcohol intake and sensitivity to punishment. This framework provides a quantitative assessment of alcohol use disorder-relevant behavioral domains while maintaining flexibility for diverse experimental questions. Through STAR, we can identify three distinct phenotypes—Low Drinkers, High Drinkers, and Compulsive Drinkers—based on their patterns of consumption and response to negative consequences. We also recently developed a procedure for intranasal cocaine self-administration in mice, which is the first model of volitional drug insufflation in any non-human animal.

We leverage existing behavioral models, but also try to think outside the box to create new approaches, analyses, and interpretations for rodent behaviors. We view behavioral assays as the most fundamental and indispensable technique in our repertoire, as the validity of our investigations of the brain are only as relevant as the behavioral paradigm in which they are conducted.

Selected Publications —- AP LEFT OFF ON VALIDATING THE PUBS

A Cortical-Brainstem Circuit Predicts and Governs Compulsive Alcohol Drinking ➟
Siciliano CA, Noamany H, Chang CJ, Brown AR, Chen X, Leible D, Lee JJ, Wang J, Vernon AN, Vander Weele CM, Kimchi EY, Heiman M, and Tye KM (2019). Science, 366(6468):1008-1012. doi: 10.1126/science.aay1186.

Amphetamine Reverses Escalated Cocaine Intake via Restoration of Dopamine Transporter Conformation ➟
Siciliano CA, Saha K, Calipari ES, Fordahl SC, Chen R, Khoshbouei H, and Jones SR (2018). Journal of Neuroscience, 38(2):484-497. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2604-17.2017.

Cocaine Potency at the Dopamine Transporter Tracks Discrete Motivational States During Cocaine Self-Administration ➟
Siciliano CA and Jones SR (2017). Neuropsychopharmacology, 42(9):1893-1904. doi: 10.1038/npp.2017.24.

Capturing the Complexity of Sex Differences Requires Multidimensional Behavioral Models ➟
Siciliano CA (2019). Neuropsychopharmacology. doi: 10.1038/s41386-019-0424-6.