Researchers

The Wilkerson Laboratory uses integrative behavioral neuroscience and pharmacology to investigate the biological mechanisms that drive pathological pain, substance use disorders, and mood-related disorders. By combining rigorous behavioral analysis with in vivo pharmacological and translational molecular approaches, our lab seeks to understand how drugs, both therapeutic and misused, shape brain-behavior interactions across health and disease. An enduring area of interest is the study of bioactive natural products, which represent a vast and historically important source of therapeutic agents as well as misused substances.