Gregory Collins, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Personal Statement:
Research in my laboratory is broadly aimed at investigating the determinants of drug-taking and drug-seeking behaviors. Accordingly, we utilize intravenous self-administration procedures to assess the degree to which factors such as age, diet, sex, and drug history influence (1) the acquisition of drug-taking, (2) the reinforcing effectiveness of drugs, and (3) the effectiveness of drug-associated stimuli to promote responding during periods in which the drug is no longer available. In addition to drug self-administration, we also utilize drug-discrimination procedures and radio-telemetric assessments of drug-induced changes in observable behavior, cardiovascular activity, body temperature, and locomotor activity in order to better characterize the pharmacologic profile of both drugs of abuse and candidate medications for the treatment of substance abuse.
Current research is focused on characterizing the abuse-related and toxic effects of synthetic cathinones (e.g., MDPV and methylone), an emerging class of abused drugs commonly referred to as “bath salts”. Through the use of quantitative approaches, these studies are also aimed at determining whether the discriminative stimulus, reinforcing and cardiovascular effects of synthetic cathinones are enhanced when they are administered in combination with another cathinone, or other common “bath salts” constituents.
Research
| • behavioral pharmacology | • dopamine systems |
| • synthetic cathinones | • self-administration |
| • drug discrimination | • substance use disorders |
Awards & Accomplishments
International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (IUPHAR) Best Young Investigator Award
American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Travel Award – 2013
Affiliations
American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) – Behavioral Pharmacology Division Councilor and Programming Committee Representative
Behavioral Pharmacology Society (BPS)
American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP)
College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) – Programming Committee Member
International Study Group Investigating Drugs as Reinforcers (ISGIDAR)
Behavior, Biology, and Chemistry: Translational Research in Addiction (BBC) – Organizing Committee Member and Programming Committee Chairperson
Lab Members
 Michelle R. Doyle IBMS Graduate Student |
 Rachel DeSantis Research Assistant |
 Robert Seaman IBMS Graduate Student |
Melson Mesmin
Student Associate II
|
News
Lectures and Presentations
World Congress of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology – 2018
Abuse-related effects of MDPV, α-PVP, and related synthetic cathinones: structural determinants of reinforcing potency and effectiveness.
University of Michigan, Interdepartmental Drugs of Abuse Seminar Series – 2018
Abuse-related effects of synthetic cathinones and “bath salts” mixtures.
ASPET Annual Meeting, Symposium on Synthetic Cathinones – 2018
Reinforcing effects of novel synthetic cathinones and there mixtures.
National Institutes on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program Seminar Series – 2018
Abuse-related effects of synthetic cathinones and “bath salts” mixtures.
Neuroscience Seminar Series – 2017
Trinity University
Designer drugs of abuse: reinforcing and toxic effects of “bath salts”
Department of Pharmacology Seminar Series – 2016
University of Arkansas Medical School
Abuse-related effects of “bath salts” mixtures: studies with MDPV, methylone, and caffeine
Publications
Gannon BM, Baumann MH, Walther D, Jinemez-Morigosa C, Sulima A, Rice KC, Collins GT. (2018) The abuse-related effects of pyrrolidine-containing cathinones are related to their potency and selectivity to inhibit the dopamine transporter. Neuropsychopharmacology. 43(12):2399-2407. Link here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30305739
Gannon BM, Mesmin MP, Sulima A, Rice KC, Collins GT. (2018) Behavioral economic analysis of the reinforcing effects of “bath salts” mixtures: studies with MDPV, methylone, and caffeine in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Psychopharmacology. (In Press) Link here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30267131
Collins GT, Gerak LR, France CP. (2018) The behavioral pharmacology and therapeutic potential of lorcaserin for treating substance use disorders. Neuropharmacology. (In Press) Link here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29246856
Gannon BM, Galindo KI, Mesmin MP, Sulima A, Rice KC, Collins GT. (2018) Relative reinforcing effects of second-generation synthetic cathinones: acquisition of self-administration and fixed ratio dose-response curves in rats. Neuropharmacology. 134(Pt A):28-35. Link here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28811192
Gannon BM, Galindo KI, Mesmin MP, Rice KC, Collins GT. (2018) Reinforcing effects of binary mixtures of common bath salts constituents: studies with MDPV, methylone, and caffeine in rats. Neuropsychopharmacology. 43(4):761-769. Link here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28677665
Gannon BM, Sulima A, Rice KC, Collins GT. (2018) Inhibition of cocaine and MDPV self-administration by lorcaserin is mediated by 5-HT2C receptors in rats. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 364(2):359-366. Link here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29217539
Gannon BM, Galindo KI, Rice KC, Collins GT. (2017) Individual differences in the relative reinforcing effects of MDPV under fixed and progressive ratio schedules of reinforcement in rats. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 361(1):181-189. Link here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28179474