Christian Lüscher
Function: Professeur ordinaire
Group name: Addiction and Dopamine System
Group type: Main
Affiliations: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Basic Neurosciences
Domains: Development and Plasticity
Keywords: addiction, dependence, dopamine system, drug, synaptic plasticity
Research activities
Our lab is interested in cellular mechanisms that underlie drug reinforcement, dependence and addiction. We believe that the core of these diseases can be understood as neuroadaptive changes and pathological synaptic plasticity, which are initiated by the effects of addictive drugs on the mesolimbic dopamine system. We look at its origin, the ventral tegmental area (VTA), where we use electrophysiology (whole cell patch clamp) and imaging in acute slices of mice in combination with pharmacological, genetic and behavioral tools. Two lines of experiments are carried out in parallel: first, we characterize the role of Kir3/GIRK channels that are effectors of G protein coupled receptors (and therefore effectors of opioids, cannabinoids and g-hydoxybutyrate). Second, we test how addictive drugs such as cocaine affect synaptic plasticity in the VTA.
Latest publications
The neurobiology of overeating.
Remission of alcohol use disorder following traumatic brain injury with focal orbitofrontal cortex hemorrhage: case report and network mapping.
Distinct µ-opioid ensembles trigger positive and negative fentanyl reinforcement.
Towards on-skin analysis of sweat for managing disorders of substance abuse.
Hide the members of the Lab
Prof. Christian Lüscher
+41 22 37 95 423
christian.luscher@unige.ch
Jennifer Cand
+41 22 37 95 465
jennifer.cand@unige.ch
Fabrice Chaudun
+41 22 37 95 437
fabrice.chaudun@unige.ch
Juan Enriquez Traba
+41 22 37 95 390
juan.enriqueztraba@unige.ch
Julian Hinz
+41 22 37 95 390
julian.hinz@unige.ch
Agnès Hiver
+41 22 37 95 437
agnes.hiver@unige.ch
Yue Li
+41 22 37 95 431
yue.li@unige.ch
Sylvia Yu Liu
+41 22 37 95 437
yu.liu@unige.ch
Lucile Marion-Poll
+41 22 37 95 437
lucile.marion-poll@unige.ch
Vincent Pascoli
+41 22 37 95 437
vincent.pascoli@unige.ch
Catherine Pham Ton That
+41 22 37 95 444
catherine.pham@unige.ch
Laurena Python
+41 22 37 94 701
laurena.python@unige.ch
Anna Ramisch
+41 22 37 95 710
anna.ramisch@unige.ch
Contact
Faculté de médecine
Université de Genève
Email: Christian.Luscher@unige.ch