OHSU

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Andrey E. Ryabinin, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Admin Unit: SOM-Behavioral Neuroscience Department
Phone: 503-494-2060
Fax: 503-494-6877
Office: MRB 731a
Mail Code: L-470
Programs:
Behavioral Neurocience
Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interests:
alcoholism, drug addiction, neuropeptides, social neuroscience, behavioral » PubMed Listing
Preceptor Rotations
Academic Term Available Fall 2010 Maybe Winter 2010 Maybe Fall 2009 Yes Summer 2010 Maybe Spring 2010 Yes
Faculty Mentorship
Dr. Ryabinin might be available as a mentor for 2010-2011.
Profile


Summary of Current Research

Stress can profoundly change many aspects of human behavior and physiology. This change is thought to be mediated by the neuropeptides corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and vasopressin. However, recently it became clear that the family of stress-related peptides is much more complex, and includes other members, such as urocortin, urocortin 2 and urocortin 3. My laboratory applies a combination of molecular, genetic and neuroanatomical techniques to understand the behavioral role of the stress-related peptides. In particular, we show that these peptides could have a critical role in the development of alcoholism. For example, our studies mapping expression of inducible transcription factors c-Fos, FosB and Zif268 in rodent brain identified that alcohol self-administration leads to selective changes of neural activity in the urocortin-positive cells of the perioculomotor area (pIIIu, also known as the Edinger-Westphal nucleus). Our further studies showed that these cells are not only extremely sensitive to alcohol but are involved in regulation of alcohol consumption and alcohol-induced hypothermia. Thus, using several inbred and selectively bred strains of mice and rats we found that alcohol-preferring strains of rodents have significantly higher measures of urocortin in the pIIIu and its projection areas than alcohol-avoiding strains. Furthermore, we showed that electrolytic lesions of urocortin-positive neurons completely eliminate alcohol preference in alcohol-preferring mice and attenuate alcohol-induced hypothermia. Recently we also started to investigate the role of stress-related peptides in adictive properties of methamphetamines and other drugs of abuse.
Another interest in the lab is developing novel animal models to study the contribution of social factors to alcohol and drug addiction.
Some of the current projects in our laboratory include:
  • Effects of site-specific intracranial injections of stress-related peptides on alcohol-sensitive behaviors in mice.
  • Analysis of knockouts of components of the CRF/urocortin system in genetic predisposition to excessive alcohol intake in rodents.
  • Analysis of knockouts of components of the CRF/urocortin system in genetic predisposition to excessive methamphetamine intake in rodents.
  • Microarray expression profiling of the Urocortin system.
  • Alcohol consumption and social behaviors in prairie voles.
  • Analysis of projections to and from the periocolomotor urocortin-containing neurons.

Recent Publications

  • Bachtell, R.K., Weitemier, A.Z., Galvan-Rosas, A.,Tsivkovskaia, N.O., Risinger, F.O., Grahame, N.O., Phillips, T.J., Ryabinin, A.E. (2003) The Edinger-Westphal nucleus-lateral septum pathway and its relationship to alcohol consumption,  Journal of Neuroscience 23: 2477-24877.
  • Bachtell, R.K., Weitemier A.Z., Ryabinin, A.E. (2004) Lesions of the Edinger-Westphal nucleus in C57BL/6J mice disrupt ethanol-induced hypothermia and ethanol consumption,  European Journal of Neuroscience, 20:1613-1623.
  • Ryabinin, A.E., Tsivkovskaia, N.O., Ryabinin, S.A. (2005) Urocortin 1-containing neurons in the human Edinger-Westphal nucleus, Neuroscience, 134: 1317-1323.
  • Sharpe, A.L., Tsivkovskaia, N.O., Ryabinin, A.E. (2005) Ataxia and c-Fos expression in mice drinking ethanol in a limited access session, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 29: 1419-1426.
  • Turek, V.F.,  Tsivkovskaia, N.O., Hyytia, P, Harding, S, Le, A.-D., Ryabinin, A.E.  (2005) Urocortin 1 expression in five pairs of rat lines selectively bred for differences in alcohol drinking,  Psychopharmacology, 181: 511-517.
  • Weitemier, A.Z., Ryabinin, A.E.  (2006) Urocortin 1 in the dorsal raphe regulates food and fluid consumption, but not ethanol preference in C57BL/6J mice. Neuroscience, 137: 1439-1445.
  • Lim, M.M., Tsivkovskaia, N.O., Bai, Y., Young, L.J., Ryabinin, A.E. (2006) Corticotropin-releasing factor and urocortin 1 brain distribution among monogamous and promiscuous vole species. Brain, Behavior & Evolution, 68: 229-240.
  • Ryabinin, A.E., Weitemier, A.Z. (2006) The Urocortin 1 neurocircuit: Ethanol sensitivity and potential involvement in alcohol consumption.  Brain Research Reviews, 52: 368-380.
  • Lim, M.M., Liu, Y., Ryabinin, A.E., Bai, Y., Wang, Z., Young, L.J. (2007). CRF receptors in the nucleus accumbens modulate partner preference in prairie voles. Hormones & Behavior. 51: 508-515.
  • Hill, K.G., Ryabinin, A.E., Cunningham C.L. (2007) c-Fos expression induced by an ethanol-paired stimulus. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior.  87: 208-221.
  • Turek, V.F., Bennett, B., Ryabinin, A.E. (2008) Differences in the urocortin1 system between long sleep and short sleep mice. Genes, Brain and Behavior.  7: 113-119.
  • May, P.J., Reiner, A.J., Ryabinin, A.E. (2008) Comparison of the distributions of urocortin containing and cholinergic neurons in the perioculomotor midbrain of the cat and macaque. Journal of Comparative Neurology. 507: 1300-1316 .
  • Ryabinin, A.E., Yoneyama, N., Tanchuk, M.A., Mark, G.P., Finn, D.A. (2008) Urocortin 1 regulates the acquisition and expression of alcohol consumption in the mouse lateral septum. Neuroscience. 151: 780-790.
  • Pastor, R., McKinnon, C.S., Scibelli, A.C., Burkhart-Kasch, S., Reed, C., Ryabinin, A.E., Coste, S.C.,  Stenzel-Poore, M.P., Phillips, T.J. (2008) Critical role of corticoptropin releasing factor type I receptors in behavioral neuroadaptation to ethanol: evidence of a urocortin1-independent mechanism. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 105: 9070-9075.
  • Spangler E., Cote, D.M., Anacker, A., Mark, G.P. Ryabinin, A.E. (2009) Differential sensitivity of perioculomotor urocortin-containing neurons to psychostimulants, ethanol and stress in mice and rats, Neuroscience, 160: 115-125.


Education

  • M.D. (1985) 2nd Moscow Medical Institute, Russia
  • Ph.D. (1991) Institute of Normal Physiology, Moscow, Russia


Previous Positions

  • Postdoctoral Research Associate, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla
  • Junior Research Fellow, Institute of Normal Physiology, Moscow, Russia