Matthew J. Will

Associate Professor 340E Life Sciences Center (573) 884-2570 willm@missouri.edu Lab: Behavioral Neuroscience

The focus of my laboratory is to apply methods of behavioral neuroscience towards the study of drug addiction and obesity. Using an animal model, we attempt to reveal the neural substrates that underlie the reinforcement process that contributes to the intake of addictive drugs and natural rewards, such as food. We also investigate the phenomenon by which exposure to environmental stress can augment the reinforcing value of both drugs of abuse and food. Our research addresses these concerns and questions through an integrative approach of behavioral, pharmacological, and molecular biological techniques.

Graduate student Kyle Parker and Dr. Thakkar

Missouri Chapter of Society for Neuroscience - poster session

KE Parker, JG McCall, MJ Will. (2010). “Basolateral amygdala opioids contribute to increased high-fat intake following intra-accumbens opioid administration, but not following 24-hr food deprivation.” Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior. Aug 26 [Epub available; PMID: 20801150].

CE Pritchett, AL Pardee, SR McGuirk, MJ Will. (2010) “The role of nucleus accumbens adenosine-opioid interaction in mediating palatable food intake.” Brain Research. Jan; 1306: 85-92.

MJ Will, CE Pritchett, KE Parker, AM Sawani, H Ma, AY Lai. (2009) "Behavioral characterization of amygdala involvement in mediating intra-accumbens opioid-driven feeding behavior." Behavioral Neuroscience. Vol. 123, No. 4, 781-793.

Fountain ED, Mao J, Whyte JJ, Mueller KE, Ellersieck MR, Will MJ, Roberts RM, Macdonald R, Rosenfeld CS. (2008). “Effects of diets enriched in omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids on offspring sex-ratio and maternal behavior in mice.” Biol Reprod. Feb; 78(2):211-7.

DK Miller, JR Lever, KR Rodvelt, JA Baskett, MJ Will, GR Kracke. (2007). "Lobeline, a potential pharmacotherapy for drug addiction, binds to mu opioid receptors and diminishes the effects of opioid receptor agonists." Drug Alcohol Depend. Jul 10;89(2-3):282-91.

MJ Will, W Van der Heyden, AE Kelley. (2007). "Striatal opioid peptide gene expression differentially tracks short-term satiety but does not vary with negative energy balance, in a manner opposite to hypothalamic NPY." Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. Jan 292 (1): R217-26.

MJ Will, WE Pratt, AE Kelley. (2006). "Pharmacological characterization of high-fat feeding induced by opioid stimulation of the ventral striatum." Physiology and Behavior. Sep 30;89 (2):226-34.

AE Kelley, BA Baldo, WE Pratt, MJ Will. (2005). "Corticostriatal-hypothalamic circuitry and food motivation: integration of energy, action and reward." Physiology and Behavior. 15; 86 (5): 773-95.

A Der-Avakian, MJ Will, ST Bland, T Deak, KT Nguyen, MJ Schmidt, RL Spencer, LR Watkins, and SF Maier. (2005). "Surgical and pharmacological suppression of glucocorticoids prevents the enhancement of morphine conditioned place preference by uncontrollable stress in rats." Psychopharmacology Vol. 179: 409-17.

MJ Will, EB Franzblau, AE Kelley. (2004). "The amygdala is critical for opioidmediated binge eating of fat." Neuroreport., Vol 15 (12): 1857-60.

MJ Will, A Der-Avakian, RE Grahn, SE Hammack, PD Sparks, JL Pepin, BT Durkan, LR Watkins, & SF Maier. (2004). "Electrolytic lesions and pharmacological inhibition of the dorsal raphe nucleus prevent stressor potentiation of morphine conditioned place preference in rats." Psychopharmacology, Vol. 171 (2): 191-8.