Dr. Cynthia Kuhn

Biography

Cynthia Moreton Kuhn is a Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at Duke University, as well as a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Her laboratory employs a multidisciplinary approach utilizing animal model systems to study the biology of addiction and stress/depression. Dr. Kuhn's research particularly investigates how adolescence and hormonal changes during puberty and aging influence vulnerability to addiction conditions. Key projects include examining sex differences in addictive drug action, the role of maturing dopamine systems during the onset of drug use in adolescence, and the neurobiology of adolescent insensitivity to threat. Her studies aim to understand the effects of estrogen and testosterone on the brain related to addiction and stress-related behaviors. Additionally, she actively collaborates with psychiatrists to study addiction and stress-related illnesses in humans and contributes to educational initiatives on drug abuse and general neuroscience for various audiences.

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