Doo-Sup Choi, Ph.D.

Neurobehavioral and addictive disorders impose major public health and social problems with substantial worldwide economic loss. Like other complex disorders, both genetic and environmental factors contribute to alcohol use disorders and other substance addictions.

Our laboratory focuses on identifying novel therapeutic targets utilizing cutting-edge techniques in the areas of molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, neuroimaging and pharmacology.

We are particularly interested in the neurobiological mechanisms of several addictive behaviors, such as sensitivity (or level of response) to alcohol intoxication, reward, aversion, and withdrawal symptoms, as well as alcohol drinking or self-administration. We also investigate co-occurring or co-morbid neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety and bipolar disorders.

Our ultimate goal is to translate our research into clinical practice, focusing on individualized treatment paradigms through convergent functional genomics and neuroimaging.