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Wendy J. Lynch

Wendy J. Lynch

Professor, Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences

Primary Phone Number
924.305.80
Email
[email protected]

Bio & Overview

My laboratory uses behavioral, pharmacological, and molecular techniques to delineate the neurobiological basis of addiction. We are particularly interested in determining the biological basis of sex differences in vulnerability to addiction. Our work has shown that females are more vulnerable than males to the reinforcing effects of drugs during the different phases of the addiction process including acquisition, maintenance, escalation, and relapse. We are examining a number of biological factors that may underlie these sex differences including hormones, age, dopaminergic signaling, as well as interactions between these factors. Another area of interest is on pharmacotherapies for treating addiction. The use of animal models is critical to determining the process by which potential medications for treating drug addiction exert their behavioral-pharmacological effects. Such information will help guide the development and use of medications for drug addiction treatment in humans. Ultimately, animal models of addiction will be very useful for understanding the neurobiological basis of addiction, determining potential treatments, and identifying individuals at risk for drug addiction.

Academic Information

Department
Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences
Academic Title
Associate Professor

Primary Education

  • BA, Psychology, Augsburg College, 1995
  • PhD, undefinedUniversity of Minnesota, 2000
  • Postdoc, Physiology/Pharmacology, Wake Forest University, 2001

Other Appointments

  • Associate Professor, Neuroscience

Other Affiliations

  • MSTP
  • Associate Professor, BIMS

Research Interests

Behavioral Pharmacology, Sex Differences, Animal Models of Addiction

Research Disciplines

  • Epigenetics
  • Experimental Pathology
  • Neuroscience

Research Opportunities

  • Epigenetics
  • Experimental Pathology
  • Neuroscience

PhD Programs

  • Experimental Pathology
  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology

Selected Publications

2024

Olaitan, G. O., Ganesana, M., Strohman, A., Lynch, W. J., Legon, W., & Jill Venton, B. (2024). Focused Ultrasound Modulates Dopamine in a Mesolimbic Reward Circuit.. bioRxiv. doi:10.1101/2024.02.13.580202

Towers, E. B., Williams, I. L., Aristidou, A. S. K., Salako-Akande, A. O., & Lynch, W. J. (2024). Impact of SMAASH-C, a novel nutritional supplement, on drug-seeking and toxicity in female and male rats. TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY, 14(1). doi:10.1038/s41398-024-02940-w

2023

Rissman, E. F., & Lynch, W. J. (2023). Role of hormones in substance use disorders. NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY, 113(11), 1095-1098. doi:10.1159/000533291

Towers, E. B., Williams, I. L., Qillawala, E. I., & Lynch, W. J. (2023). Role of nucleus accumbens dopamine 2 receptors in motivating cocaine use in male and female rats prior to and following the development of an addiction-like phenotype. FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY, 14. doi:10.3389/fphar.2023.1237990

Le, A. L., Lynch, W. J., & Rissman, E. (2023). Sex chromosome complement and estradiol modify cocaine self-administration behaviors in male mice. NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY, 113(11), 1177-1188. doi:10.1159/000531648

Lynch, W. J., Towers, E. B., & Rissman, E. F. (2023). Editorial: Women in psychiatry 2022: Addictive disorders. FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY, 14. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1157677

Towers, E. B., Setaro, B., & Lynch, W. J. (2023). Estradiol Enhances the Development of Addition-Like Features in a Female Rat Model of Opioid Use Disorder. NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY, 113(11), 1099-1111. doi:10.1159/000529997

2022

Towers, E. B., Williams, I. L., Qillawala, E. I., Rissman, E. F., & Lynch, W. J. (2023). Sex/Gender Differences in the Time-Course for the Development of Substance Use Disorder: A Focus on the Telescoping Effect. PHARMACOLOGICAL REVIEWS, 75(2), 217-249. doi:10.1124/pharmrev.121.000361

Lynch, W. J., Bakhti-Suroosh, A., & Abel, J. M. (2022). Impact of high-access exercise prior to and during early adolescence on later vulnerability to opioid use and relapse in male rats. TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY, 12(1). doi:10.1038/s41398-022-02180-w

Towers, E. B., Kilgore, M., Bakhti-Suroosh, A., Pidaparthi, L., Williams, I. L., Abel, J. M., & Lynch, W. J. (2023). Sex differences in the neuroadaptations associated with incubated cocaine-craving: A focus on the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. FRONTIERS IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE, 16. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1027310

Towers, E. B., Setaro, B., & Lynch, W. J. (2022). Sex- and Dose-Dependent Differences in the Development of an Addiction-Like Phenotype Following Extended-Access Fentanyl Self-Administration. FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY, 13. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.841873

2021

Towers, E. B., & Lynch, W. J. (2021). The importance of examining sex differences in animal models validated to induce an addiction-like phenotype. PHARMACOLOGY BIOCHEMISTRY AND BEHAVIOR, 209. doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2021.173255

Towers, E. B., Bakhti-Suroosh, A., & Lynch, W. J. (2021). Females develop features of an addiction-like phenotype sooner during withdrawal than males. PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, 238(8), 2213-2224. doi:10.1007/s00213-021-05846-3

Bakhti-Suroosh, A., Towers, E. B., & Lynch, W. J. (2021). A buprenorphine-validated rat model of opioid use disorder optimized to study sex differences in vulnerability to relapse. PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, 238(4), 1029-1046. doi:10.1007/s00213-020-05750-2

2020

Lynch, W. J., Bakhti-Suroosh, A., Abel, J. M., & Davis, C. (2021). Shifts in the neurobiological mechanisms motivating cocaine use with the development of an addiction-like phenotype in male rats. PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, 238(3), 811-823. doi:10.1007/s00213-020-05732-4

Harp, S. J., Martini, M., Lynch, W. J., & Rissman, E. F. (2020). Sexual Differentiation and Substance Use: A Mini-Review. ENDOCRINOLOGY, 161(9). doi:10.1210/endocr/bqaa129

Martini, M., Irvin, J. W., Lee, C. G., Lynch, W. J., & Rissman, E. F. (2020). Sex chromosome complement influences vulnerability to cocaine in mice. HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR, 125. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104821

2019

Abel, J. M., Nesil, T., Bakhti-Suroosh, A., Grant, P. A., & Lynch, W. J. (2019). Mechanisms underlying the efficacy of exercise as an intervention for cocaine relapse: a focus on mGlu5 in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex. PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, 236(7), 2155-2171. doi:10.1007/s00213-019-05208-0

Sanchez, V., Bakhti-Suroosh, A., Chen, A., Brunzell, D. H., Erisir, A., & Lynch, W. J. (2019). Exercise during abstinence normalizes ultrastructural synaptic plasticity associated with nicotine-seeking following extended access self-administration. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, 50(4), 2707-2721. doi:10.1111/ejn.14408

Bakhti-Suroosh, A., Nesil, T., & Lynch, W. J. (2019). Tamoxifen Blocks the Development of Motivational Features of an Addiction-Like Phenotype in Female Rats. FRONTIERS IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE, 13. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00253

2018

Nesil, T., Narmeen, S., Bakhti-Suroosh, A., & Lynch, W. J. (2019). Effect of menthol on nicotine intake and relapse vulnerability in a rat model of concurrent intravenous menthol/nicotine self-administration. PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, 236(4), 1219-1232. doi:10.1007/s00213-018-5128-9

Wang, T. R., Moosa, S., Dallapiazza, R. F., Elias, W. J., & Lynch, W. J. (2018). Deep brain stimulation for the treatment of drug addiction. NEUROSURGICAL FOCUS, 45(2). doi:10.3171/2018.5.FOCUS18163

Smith, M. A., Fronk, G. E., Abel, J. M., Lacy, R. T., Bills, S. E., & Lynch, W. J. (2018). Resistance exercise decreases heroin self-administration and alters gene expression in the nucleus accumbens of heroin-exposed rats. PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, 235(4), 1245-1255. doi:10.1007/s00213-018-4840-9

2017

Lynch, W. J., Robinson, A. M., Abel, J., & Smith, M. A. (2017). Exercise as a Prevention for Substance Use Disorder: A Review of Sex Differences and Neurobiological Mechanisms.. Current addiction reports, 4(4), 455-466. doi:10.1007/s40429-017-0178-3

Lynch, W. J., Tan, L., Narmeen, S., Beiter, R., & Brunzell, D. H. (2019). Exercise or saccharin during abstinence block estrus-induced increases in nicotine-seeking. PHYSIOLOGY & BEHAVIOR, 203, 33-41. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.10.026

Lynch, W. J., Abel, J., Robinson, A. M., & Smith, M. A. (2017). Exercise as a Sex-Specific Treatment for Substance Use Disorder.. Current addiction reports, 4(4), 467-481. doi:10.1007/s40429-017-0177-4

Lynch, W. J. (2018). Modeling the development of drug addiction in male and female animals. PHARMACOLOGY BIOCHEMISTRY AND BEHAVIOR, 164, 50-61. doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2017.06.006

Sivaramakrishnan, S., & Lynch, W. P. (2017). Rebound from Inhibition: Self-Correction against Neurodegeneration?. Journal of clinical & cellular immunology, 8(2), 492. doi:10.4172/2155-9899.1000492

Lynch, W. J., Beiter, R. M., Peterson, A. B., & Abel, J. (2017). Exercise during early, but not late abstinence, attenuates subsequent relapse vulnerability in a rat model. DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE, 171, E124. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.08.345

2016

Carroll, M. E., & Lynch, W. J. (2016). How to study sex differences in addiction using animal models. ADDICTION BIOLOGY, 21(5), 1007-1029. doi:10.1111/adb.12400

Beiter, R. M., Peterson, A. B., Abel, J., & Lynch, W. J. (2016). Exercise during early, but not late abstinence, attenuates subsequent relapse vulnerability in a rat model. TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY, 6. doi:10.1038/tp.2016.58

Strickland, J. C., Abel, J. M., Lacy, R. T., Beckmann, J. S., Witte, M. A., Lynch, W. J., & Smith, M. A. (2016). The effects of resistance exercise on cocaine self-administration, muscle hypertrophy, and BDNF expression in the nucleus accumbens. DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE, 163, 186-194. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.04.019

2015

Sanchez, V., Lycas, M. D., Lynch, W. J., & Brunzell, D. H. (2015). Wheel running exercise attenuates vulnerability to self-administer nicotine in rats. DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE, 156, 193-198. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.09.022

Moore, C. F., & Lynch, W. J. (2015). Alcohol preferring (P) rats as a model for examining sex differences in alcohol use disorder and its treatment. PHARMACOLOGY BIOCHEMISTRY AND BEHAVIOR, 132, 1-9. doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2015.02.014

2014

Doyle, S. E., Feng, H., Garber, G., Menaker, M., & Lynch, W. J. (2015). Effects of circadian disruption on methamphetamine consumption in methamphetamine-exposed rats. PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, 232(12), 2169-2179. doi:10.1007/s00213-014-3845-2

Peterson, A. B., Abel, J. L., & Lynch, W. J. (2014). Wheel running dose dependently attenuates cocaine-seeking and associated neuroadaptations in the prefrontal cortex. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 140, e175-e176. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2014.02.493

Doyle, S. E., Ramoa, C., Garber, G., Newman, J., Toor, Z., & Lynch, W. J. (2014). A Shift in the Role of Glutamatergic Signaling in the Nucleus Accumbens Core With the Development of an Addicted Phenotype. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY, 76(10), 810-815. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.02.005

Moore, C. F., Lycas, M. D., Bond, C. W., Johnson, B. A., & Lynch, W. J. (2014). Acute and Chronic Administration of a Low-Dose Combination of Topiramate and Ondansetron Reduces Ethanol's Reinforcing Effects in Male Alcohol Preferring (P) Rats. EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, 22(1), 35-42. doi:10.1037/a0035215

Peterson, A. B., Hivick, D. P., & Lynch, W. J. (2014). Dose-dependent effectiveness of wheel running to attenuate cocaine-seeking: impact of sex and estrous cycle in rats. PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, 231(13), 2661-2670. doi:10.1007/s00213-014-3437-1

2013

Sanchez, V., Moore, C. F., Brunzell, D. H., & Lynch, W. J. (2014). Sex differences in the effect of wheel running on subsequent nicotine-seeking in a rat adolescent-onset self-administration model. PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, 231(8), 1753-1762. doi:10.1007/s00213-013-3359-3

Moore, C. F., Protzuk, O. A., Johnson, B. A., & Lynch, W. J. (2014). The efficacy of a low dose combination of topiramate and naltrexone on ethanol reinforcement and consumption in rat models. PHARMACOLOGY BIOCHEMISTRY AND BEHAVIOR, 116, 107-115. doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2013.11.013

Peterson, A. B., Abel, J. M., & Lynch, W. J. (2014). Dose-dependent effects of wheel running on cocaine-seeking and prefrontal cortex Bdnf exon IV expression in rats. PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, 231(7), 1305-1314. doi:10.1007/s00213-013-3321-4

Ramoa, C. P., Doyle, S. E., Lycas, M. D., Chernau, A. K., & Lynch, W. J. (2014). Diminished Role of Dopamine D1-Receptor Signaling with the Development of an Addicted Phenotype in Rats. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY, 76(1), 8-14. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.09.028

Lynch, W. J., Peterson, A. B., Sanchez, V., Abel, J., & Smith, M. A. (2013). Exercise as a novel treatment for drug addiction: A neurobiological and stage-dependent hypothesis. NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS, 37(8), 1622-1644. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.06.011

Ramoa, C. P., Doyle, S. E., Naim, D. W., & Lynch, W. J. (2013). Estradiol as a Mechanism for Sex Differences in the Development of an Addicted Phenotype following Extended Access Cocaine Self-Administration. NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, 38(9), 1698-1705. doi:10.1038/npp.2013.68

Sanchez, V., Moore, C. F., Brunzell, D. H., & Lynch, W. J. (2013). Effect of wheel-running during abstinence on subsequent nicotine-seeking in rats. PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, 227(3), 403-411. doi:10.1007/s00213-012-2964-x

2012

Doyle, S. E., Breslin, F. J., Rieger, J. M., Beauglehole, A., & Lynch, W. J. (2012). Time and sex-dependent effects of an adenosine A2A/A1 receptor antagonist on motivation to self-administer cocaine in rats. PHARMACOLOGY BIOCHEMISTRY AND BEHAVIOR, 102(2), 257-263. doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2012.05.001

2011

Lynch, W. J., Bond, C., Breslin, F. J., & Johnson, B. A. (2011). Severity of drinking as a predictor of efficacy of the combination of ondansetron and topiramate in rat models of ethanol consumption and relapse. PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, 217(1), 3-12. doi:10.1007/s00213-011-2253-0

Lynch, W., Bond, C., Breslin, F. J., & Johnson, B. A. (2011). SEVERITY OF DRINKING AS A PREDICTOR OF EFFICACY OF THE COMBINATION OF ONDANSETRON AND TOPIRAMATE IN RAT MODELS OF ETHANOL CONSUMPTION AND RELAPSE. ALCOHOL AND ALCOHOLISM, 46, 20. Retrieved from https://www.webofscience.com/

Lynch, W. J., Bond, C., Breslin, F. J., & Johnson, B. A. (2011). THE EFFICACY OF THE COMBINATION OF ONDANSETRON AND TOPIRAMATE VARIES WITH SEVERITY OF DRINKING IN RATS. ALCOHOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH, 35(6), 185A. Retrieved from https://www.webofscience.com/

Smith, M. A., & Lynch, W. J. (2011). Exercise as a potential treatment for drug abuse: evidence from preclinical studies.. Frontiers in psychiatry, 2, 82. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2011.00082

Morgan, R. W., Johnson, B. A., & Lynch, W. J. (2011). EFFECTS OF TOPIRAMATE ON THE REINFORCING EFFECTS OF ETHANOL IN WISTAR AND P RATS. ALCOHOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH, 35(6), 183A. Retrieved from https://www.webofscience.com/

2010

Lynch, W. J., & Sofuoglu, M. (2010). Role of Progesterone in Nicotine Addiction: Evidence From Initiation to Relapse. EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, 18(6), 451-461. doi:10.1037/a0021265

Lynch, W. J., Piehl, K. B., Acosta, G., Peterson, A. B., & Hemby, S. E. (2010). Aerobic Exercise Attenuates Reinstatement of Cocaine-Seeking Behavior and Associated Neuroadaptations in the Prefrontal Cortex. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY, 68(8), 774-777. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.06.022

Lynch, W. J., Nicholson, K. L., Dance, M. E., Morgan, R. W., & Foley, P. L. (2010). Animal Models of Substance Abuse and Addiction: Implications for Science, Animal Welfare, and Society. COMPARATIVE MEDICINE, 60(3), 177-188. Retrieved from https://www.webofscience.com/

Abdolahi, A., Acosta, G., Breslin, F. J., Hemby, S. E., & Lynch, W. J. (2010). Incubation of nicotine seeking is associated with enhanced protein kinase A-regulated signaling of dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein of 32 kDa in the insular cortex. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, 31(4), 733-741. doi:10.1111/j.1460-9568.2010.07114.x

Hawkes, W. C., Morgan, R. W., Johnson, B. A., & Lynch, W. J. (2010). EFFECTS OF ACUTE AND CHRONIC TOPIRAMATE ALONE AND IN COMBINATION WITH ONDANSETRON ON THE REINFORCING EFFECTS OF ETHANOL IN P RATS. ALCOHOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH, 34(6), 144A. Retrieved from https://www.webofscience.com/

Morgan, R. W., Hawkes, W. C., Johnson, B. A., & Lynch, W. J. (2010). THE ALCOHOL DEPRIVATION EFFECT IN NON-DEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT ALCOHOL PREFERRING (P) RATS. ALCOHOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH, 34(6), 82A. Retrieved from https://www.webofscience.com/