Principal Investigators from UCI
Faizy Ahmed, PhD
Senior Project Scientist
Dr. Faizy Ahmed is an analytical chemist with over 30 years of experience in liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC/MS). In his capacity as director of ICAL’s Analytical Core, Dr Ahmed oversees the maintenance of the center’s analytical suite, develops new methods for endocannabinoid and cannabinoid analysis, and trains ICAL students, post-doctoral scholars, and staff in the use of LC/MS equipment.
Christine Gall, PhD
Professor and Chair, Anatomy & Neurobiology; Professor, Neurobiology & Behavior
Dr. Gall has conducted foundational studies on the localization and regulation of neurotrophic factors in the brain and continues to investigate the role of such factors in synaptic plasticity. Her current work includes analyses of the cooperative interactions between trophic and modulatory receptors (including cannabinoid receptors) in regulating plasticity.
Kim Green, PhD
Professor and Vice Chair of Neurobiology and Behavior
Since 2011, Dr. Green’s research has focused on microglia, the immune cell of the brain. His lab discovered that microglia in the adult brain are dependent upon signaling through the colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) for their survival, and this dependency could be taken advantage of through the administration of specific CSF1R inhibitors leading to the rapid and sustained elimination of >95% of all microglia from the CNS. Through this method his lab is studying the roles that microglia play in normal brain function, as well as their effects on the brain during disease and injury.
Kwang-Mook Jung
Associate Adjunct Professor
Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology
My research is focused on the endocannabinoid system in the brain. More specifically, I have been studying molecular mechanisms controlling the biosynthesis and inactivation of endocannabinoid 2-AG. Moving forward, my study aims to elucidate the mechanism by which early-life cannabinoid exposure affects brain 2-AG signaling and causes persistent cognitive impairment.
Gary Lynch, PhD
Professor of Psychiatry & Human Behavior and Anatomy & Neurobiology
Dr. Lynch has made fundamental contributions to the description of anatomical and physiological plasticity in the developing, mature and aging brain. Among them, he introduced the now widely accepted ‘cytoskeletal hypothesis’ for activity-driven modification of synapses and related memory encoding.
Stephen Mahler, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurobiology & Behavior
Dr. Mahler helped pioneer the use of DREADDs to manipulate neural circuits during complex addiction-related behaviors, described new roles for the hypothalamic peptide orexin in motivated behavior, and identified a novel endocannabinoid “hedonic hotspot” in the nucleus accumbens.
Daniele Piomelli, PhD
Director, UCI Center for the Study of Cannabis
Louise Turner Arnold Chair in the Neurosciences
Professor, Anatomy & Neurobiology, Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology
My research is focused on understanding how endocannabinoid substances and other lipid-derived signaling molecules affect the function of the brain and other organs. More specifically, in the last few decades, we have investigated the biochemical pathways involved in the formation and deactivation of the endocannabinoid neurotransmitters, anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), and has uncovered important physiological roles played by these molecules. We also studied another class of lipid messengers, the fatty-acid ethanolamides (FAEs) and ceramide, and identified the mechanism of action of these molecules. We have developed inhibitors of their degradation, whose potential therapeutic uses are currently under investigation. Moving forward, we plan to study the potential impacts of cannabinoids during lifespan, in particular regarding the persistent brain alteration caused by early-life exposure as well as its potential benefits for selected human disorders.
Marcelo A. Wood, PhD
Professor and Chair, Dept. of Neurobiology & Behavior, School of Biological Sciences
My research is focused on understanding the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate gene expression required for long-lasting changes in behavior as related to drug-seeking and drug-associated memory processes. Current collaborative studies involve examination of how cannabis affects epigenetic mechanisms to induce persistent changes in neuronal function and ultimately behavior.