
Christian Lüscher
Affiliations: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Basic Neurosciences
Group name: Addiction and Dopamine System
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
Regulation of GluA1 phosphorylation by d-amphetamine and methylphenidate in the cerebellum.
Context-Dependent Multiplexing by Individual VTA Dopamine Neurons.
Projection-specific deficits in synaptic transmission in adult Sapap3-knockout mice.
Drug-Evoked Synaptic Plasticity of Excitatory Transmission in the Ventral Tegmental Area.
Hide the members of the Lab

Prof. Christian Lüscher
+41 22 37 95 423
christian.luscher@unige.ch

Ridouane Achargui
+41 22 37 95 437
ridouane.achargui@unige.ch

Fabrice Chaudun
+41 22 37 95 437
fabrice.chaudun@unige.ch

Jérôme Flakowski
+41 22 37 95 390
jerome.flakowski@unige.ch

Lotfi Hadjas
+41 22 37 95 437
lotfi.hadjas@unige.ch

Masaya Harada
+41 22 37 95 437
masaya.harada@unige.ch

Jennifer Hauet
+41 22 37 95 465
jennifer.cand@unige.ch

Agnès Hiver
+41 22 37 95 437
agnes.hiver@unige.ch

Yue Li
+41 22 37 95 431
yue.li@unige.ch

Michael Loureiro
+41 22 37 95 390
michael.loureiro@unige.ch

Vincent Pascoli
+41 22 37 95 437
vincent.pascoli@unige.ch

Hélène-Sophie Renneboog
+41 22 37 95 444
helene-sophie.renneboog@unige.ch

Linda Simmler
+41 22 37 95 437
linda.simmler@unige.ch

Ruud Van Zessen
+41 22 37 95 437
ruud.vanzessen@unige.ch

Affif Zaccaria
+41 22 37 95 437
affif.zaccaria@unige.ch
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Contact
Faculté de médecine
Université de Genève
Email: Christian.Luscher@unige.ch