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Research Laboratory

Neuroimaging and Addiction Treatment Laboratory (NATL)

Leadership

Edythe London, PhD
Director

Contact Info

760 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA
natl@mednet.ucla.edu

About

The Neuroimaging and Addiction Treatment Laboratory (NATL) conducts research on the neural correlates of substance use disorders and potential treatments. We use multi-modal imaging techniques, including structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and position emission tomography (PET), to investigate the neural circuitry underlying impulsivity, self-control and other neurocognitive functions and behaviors related to addiction. Our research aims to help clarify the links between genetic variation, brain chemistry and activity in neural circuits related to decision-making and other cognitive functions that maintain addiction. Ongoing studies also involve novel approaches and medications to enhance brain function and self-control during recovery.


Ongoing Research

Neural Systems, Inhibitory Control, and Methamphetamine Dependence

We are conducting research on brain structure and function in individuals with substance use disorders. Chronic use of substances can impair cognitive brain function, and we are investigating how cognitive deficits are related to the brain structure of people who misuse. We are also using functional MRI to assess how brain activity differs between individuals with substance use disorders and healthy, control participants. We are investigating how potential treatments may help improve the cognition and brain function of individuals with substance use disorders. 

Cannabidiol as Adjunctive Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

With over 100,000 overdose deaths in the US during 2021, the need for novel treatments cannot be overstated. There are FDA-approved medications for Opioid Use Disorder, the most efficacious being the opioid replacement therapies, buprenorphine. And methadone. Yet within months of initiating treatment, about half of the patients relapse. One problem that is cited is craving for opioids, and this craving is thought to drive relapse. Following reports that cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive cannabis derivative, reduces opioid craving, this project is evaluating the safety and initial efficacy of cannabidiol as adjunctive therapy for patients receiving opioid replacement therapy with buprenorphine.  

Low-intensity Focused Ultrasound as a Novel Treatment for Substance Use Disorders

Substance use disorders (SUDs) remain a critical public health crisis in the United States, affecting roughly one in six Americans aged 12 or older in 2024. Established behavioral treatment and pharmacotherapies often demonstrate limited long-term efficacy, necessitating exploration of innovative, alternative therapeutic options. We are conducting research on a novel treatment approach, low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU), which uses targeted sound frequencies that cannot be heard by humans to modulate function in brain regions without surgery or other invasive techniques. We are investigating whether LIFU can successfully alter activity within addiction-related brain networks and reduce cue-induced craving for various substances.

Sex Differences in Brain Structure and Function Related to Cigarette Smoking: Neuroimaging, Behavior and Genotype

Women and men have different relationships to smoking that result in disparities in cessation success and health outcomes. These differences may be based on underlying genetic and brain differences, but more research is required to understand them. This project will provide basic empirical information regarding differences in genetics and brain in smokers as it relates to success at quitting smoking. Results of this project will help advance development of personalized, sex-specific, smoking cessation therapies.

Neurobiological Examination of Adolescent Substance Use

Adolescence is a critical period for the development of cognitive, emotional, and reward networks in the brain. Mental health and substance use disorders often start during this tumultuous period. Our investigations seek to find risk phenotypes of brain structure and function within the developing brain. Our work also examines the effects of early life stress and biological sex on these developmental trajectories. Using the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study data, we examine youth as they progress through adolescence from ages 9-19 to find associations between brain metrics and later substance use. We also expand further to assess environmental, parental, peer, and individual personality factors as contributors to subsequent substance use.


Participate in a Study

If you are interested in participating in a study, please click here: General Interest Form.


Team

Leadership

  • Edythe London, Ph.D.

    Director

Faculty

  • Andrew C. Dean, Ph.D.

    Faculty
  • Dara Ghahremani, Ph.D.

    Faculty
  • Jean-Baptiste Pochon, Ph.D.

    Faculty
  • Megan McClintick, Ph.D.

    Faculty

Clinical Team

  • Jeremy Flores, M.D.

    Study Physician
  • Melvin Rico, M.D.

    Study Physician

Postdoctoral Fellows

  • Claudia Aguirre, Ph.D.

    Postdoctoral Fellow
  • Alexandra Donovan, Ph.D.

    Postdoctoral Fellow

Research Staff

  • John Kenneth Lauder

    Research Associate
  • Isabella de Sa, MPH

    Clinical Research Coordinator

Graduate Students

  • Jalen Grayson

    Ph.D. Candidate

Collaborators

  • Joseph O’Neill, Ph.D., M.S.

    Neuroscientist
  • Jeffry Alger, M.Phil., Ph.D.

    Neuroscientist
  • Rachel Tyndale, Ph.D., M.Sc.

    Pharmacogeneticist
  • Golnaz Tabibnia, Ph.D.

    Neuroscientist

Training

Post-Doctoral Positions in Neuroimaging of Addiction

The UCLA Laboratory of Molecular Neuroimaging has postdoctoral positions available for involvement in NIH- and foundation-funded multimodality magnetic resonance imaging (structural MRI, fMRI, MRS) and PET research projects in substance use disorders. Research includes studies of recruited healthy control participants and patient populations (Tobacco, Stimulant and Opioid Use Disorders) and large datasets to evaluate neural bases of behavioral deficits and effects of interventions, including behavioral, brain-stimulation and pharmacological treatments. This work is performed in the context of UCLA’s state-of-the-art neuroimaging centers – Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Brain Mapping Center – with exciting opportunities for bidirectional research translation with basic science laboratories and clinical research programs across the university. All candidates must have relevant neuroimaging research experience (see below) with related references. Postdoctoral candidates must have an PhD or MD in a relevant research field.

The UCLA Laboratory of Molecular Neuroimaging has postdoctoral positions available for involvement in NIH- and foundation-funded multimodality magnetic resonance imaging (structural MRI, fMRI, MRS) and PET research projects in substance use disorders. Research includes studies of recruited healthy control participants and patient populations (Tobacco, Stimulant and Opioid Use Disorders) and large datasets to evaluate neural bases of behavioral deficits and effects of interventions, including behavioral, brain-stimulation and pharmacological treatments. This work is performed in the context of UCLA’s state-of-the-art neuroimaging centers – Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Brain Mapping Center – with exciting opportunities for bidirectional research translation with basic science laboratories and clinical research programs across the university. All candidates must have relevant neuroimaging research experience (see below) with related references. Postdoctoral candidates must have an PhD or MD in a relevant research field.

Salary will be commensurate with training level. UCLA is an equal-opportunity employer. Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.

How to Apply

Applications must include the following items in order to be considered:

  • Current curriculum vitae
  • Letter of intent
  • Names and contact info for three references

Interested applicants should email Dr. Edythe London (elondon@mednet.ucla.edu).

T32 UCLA Translational Neuroscience of Drug Addiction (TNDA) Training Program

The UCLA Training Program in the Translational Neuroscience of Drug Addiction (TNDA) provides multidisciplinary training that spans the fundamental bases of addiction from the genome to neural phenotypes and ultimately the syndrome of addiction, with particular strength in molecular and cellular, behavioral and systems, and cognitive and clinical neuroscience. This program enables trainees to conduct and disseminate cutting-edge addiction neuroscience research, including evidence-based hypothesis formation, experimental design, data acquisition and analyses, and preparation of findings for presentation at national and international conferences and for publication in top peer-reviewed journals. The TNDA recruits and welcomes applications from trainees or all backgrounds.

How to Apply

Deadline: Applications are due by May each year for the following academic year.


Publications

Peer-Reviewed Articles

2026

Tabibnia, G., Ghahremani, D. G., Tindle, H. A., Creswell, J. D., Westbrook, C., Kraynak, T. E., Julson, E., & London, E. D. (2026). Cue labeling reduces cigarette craving and associated neural activity. Neuropsychopharmacology: Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 51(5), 822–830. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-025-02297-8

2025

Dean, A. C., Allen, D., McClintick, M., Pochon, J.-B., Ghahremani, D., Mandelkern, M. A., & London, E. D. (2025). Dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability and working memory in stimulant use disorder. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 51(5), 619–627. https://doi.org/10.1080/00952990.2025.2534809

Dean, A. C., Pochon, J.-B., Bilder, R. M., Sabb, F. W., Congdon, E., Ghahremani, D., Karlsgodt, K. H., van Erp, T. G. M., Schwarzlose, R. F., Cannon, T. D., Freimer, N. B., & London, E. D. (2025). Convergent Validity of Experimental Cognitive Tests in a Large Community Sample. Assessment, 32(7), 1008–1026. https://doi.org/10.1177/10731911241283410

Haase, G., Liu, J., Jordan, T., Rapkin, A., London, E. D., & Petersen, N. (2025). Effects of Oral Contraceptive Pills on Brain Networks: A Conceptual Replication and Extension. Human Brain Mapping, 46(11), e70318. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.70318

London, E. D., Dean, A. C., De La Garza, R., Lachoff, H., Mooney, L. J., Torrington, M., Whelan, F., McClintick, M., Ghahremani, D., Elezi, G., Whitelegge, J. P., Sugar, C., & Vocci, F. J. (2025). Adjunctive Cannabidiol in Inpatient Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: A Pilot Randomized Trial. Journal of Addiction Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1097/ADM.0000000000001640

Petersen, N., Apostol, M. R., Jordan, T., Ngo, T. D. P., Kearley, N. W., London, E. D., & Leuchter, A. F. (2025). Comparing neuromodulation targets to reduce cigarette craving and withdrawal: A randomized clinical trial. Neuropsychopharmacology: Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 50(9), 1319–1326. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-025-02106-2

2024

McClintick, M. N., Kessler, R. M., Mandelkern, M. A., Mahmoudie, T., Allen, D. C., Lachoff, H., Pochon, J.-B. F., Ghahremani, D. G., Farahi, J. B., Partiai, E., Casillas, R. A., Mooney, L. J., Dean, A. C., & London, E. D. (2024). Brain mGlu5 Is Linked to Cognition and Cigarette Smoking but Does Not Differ From Control in Early Abstinence From Chronic Methamphetamine Use. The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 27(8), pyae031. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijnp/pyae031

Petzold, J., Pochon, J.-B. F., Ghahremani, D. G., & London, E. D. (2024). Structural indices of brain aging in methamphetamine use disorder. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 256, 111107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.111107

Scheffler, F., Ipser, J., Pancholi, D., Murphy, A., Cao, Z., Ottino-González, J., ENIGMA Addiction Working Group, Thompson, P. M., Shoptaw, S., Conrod, P., Mackey, S., Garavan, H., & Stein, D. J. (2024). Mega-analysis of the brain-age gap in substance use disorder: An ENIGMA Addiction working group study. Addiction, 119(11), 1937–1946. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.16621

2023

Cao, Z., McCabe, M., Callas, P., Cupertino, R. B., Ottino-González, J., Murphy, A., Pancholi, D., Schwab, N., Catherine, O., Hutchison, K., Cousijn, J., Dagher, A., Foxe, J. J., Goudriaan, A. E., Hester, R., Li, C.-S. R., Thompson, W. K., Morales, A. M., London, E. D., … ENIGMA Addiction Working Group. (2023). Recalibrating single-study effect sizes using hierarchical Bayesian models. Frontiers in Neuroimaging, 2, 1138193. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnimg.2023.1138193

Ghahremani, D. G., Pochon, J.-B. F., Diaz, M. P., Tyndale, R. F., Dean, A. C., & London, E. D. (2023). Nicotine dependence and insula subregions: Functional connectivity and cue-induced activation. Neuropsychopharmacology, 48(6), 936–945. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-023-01528-0

Guttman, Z., Mandelkern, M., Ghahremani, D. G., Kohno, M., Dean, A. C., & London, E. D. (2023). Decomposing risky decision-making in methamphetamine use disorder: Behavioral updating and D2 dopamine receptors. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 246, 109860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.109860

Jarrett, O., London, E. D., Mahmoudie, T., Suh, J., Ghahremani, D., & Dean, A. C. (2023). Mindfulness and clinical correlates in methamphetamine use disorder. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 253, 111029. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.111029

Nestor, L. J., Ghahremani, D. G., & London, E. D. (2023). Reduced neural functional connectivity during working memory performance in methamphetamine use disorder. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 243, 109764. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.109764

Nurmi, E. L., Laughlin, C. P., de Wit, H., Palmer, A. A., MacKillop, J., Cannon, T. D., Bilder, R. M., Congdon, E., Sabb, F. W., Seaman, L. C., McElroy, J. J., Libowitz, M. R., Weafer, J., Gray, J., Dean, A. C., Hellemann, G. S., & London, E. D. (2023). Polygenic contributions to performance on the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. Molecular Psychiatry, 28(8), 3524–3530. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-023-02123-x

O’Neill, J., Diaz, M. P., Alger, J. R., Pochon, J.-B., Ghahremani, D., Dean, A. C., Tyndale, R. F., Petersen, N., Marohnic, S., Karaiskaki, A., & London, E. D. (2023). Smoking, tobacco dependence, and neurometabolites in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Molecular Psychiatry, 28(11), 4756–4765. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-023-02247-0

Petzold, J., Hentschel, A., Chen, H., Kuitunen-Paul, S., London, E. D., Heinz, A., & Smolka, M. N. (2023). Value-based decision-making predicts alcohol use and related problems in young men. Journal of Psychopharmacology (Oxford, England), 37(12), 1218–1226. https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811231212151

Tabibnia, G., Ghahremani, D. G., Pochon, J.-B. F., Diaz, M. P., & London, E. D. (2023). Negative affect and craving during abstinence from smoking are both linked to default mode network connectivity. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 249, 109919. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.109919

2022

Ekhtiari, H., Zare-Bidoky, M., Sangchooli, A., Janes, A. C., Kaufman, M. J., Oliver, J. A., Prisciandaro, J. J., Wüstenberg, T., Anton, R. F., Bach, P., Baldacchino, A., Beck, A., Bjork, J. M., Brewer, J., Childress, A. R., Claus, E. D., Courtney, K. E., Ebrahimi, M., Filbey, F. M., … Zilverstand, A. (2022). A methodological checklist for fMRI drug cue reactivity studies: Development and expert consensus. Nature Protocols, 17(3), 567–595. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41596-021-00649-4

Grodin, E. N., Nieto, S. J., Meredith, L. R., Burnette, E., O’Neill, J., Alger, J., London, E. D., Miotto, K., Evans, C. J., Irwin, M. R., & Ray, L. A. (2022). Effects of ibudilast on central and peripheral markers of inflammation in alcohol use disorder: A randomized clinical trial. Addiction Biology, 27(4), e13182. https://doi.org/10.1111/adb.13182

Hahn, S., Mackey, S., Cousijn, J., Foxe, J. J., Heinz, A., Hester, R., Hutchinson, K., Kiefer, F., Korucuoglu, O., Lett, T., Li, C.-S. R., London, E., Lorenzetti, V., Maartje, L., Momenan, R., Orr, C., Paulus, M., Schmaal, L., Sinha, R., … Garavan, H. (2022). Predicting alcohol dependence from multi-site brain structural measures. Human Brain Mapping, 43(1), 555–565. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.25248

Kong, X.-Z., ENIGMA Laterality Working Group, & Francks, C. (2022). Reproducibility in the absence of selective reporting: An illustration from large-scale brain asymmetry research. Human Brain Mapping, 43(1), 244–254. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.25154

Ottino-González, J., Garavan, H., & ENIGMA-Addiction and IMAGEN consortiums. (2022). Brain structural covariance network differences in adults with alcohol dependence and heavy-drinking adolescents. Addiction, 117(5), 1312–1325. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15772

Ottino-González, J., Uhlmann, A., Hahn, S., Cao, Z., Cupertino, R. B., Schwab, N., Allgaier, N., Alia-Klein, N., Ekhtiari, H., Fouche, J.-P., Goldstein, R. Z., Li, C.-S. R., Lochner, C., London, E. D., Luijten, M., Masjoodi, S., Momenan, R., Oghabian, M. A., Roos, A., … Garavan, H. (2022). White matter microstructure differences in individuals with dependence on cocaine, methamphetamine, and nicotine: Findings from the ENIGMA-Addiction working group. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 230, 109185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109185

Petzold, J., Dean, A. C., Pochon, J.-B., Ghahremani, D. G., De La Garza, R., & London, E. D. (2022). Cortical thickness and related depressive symptoms in early abstinence from chronic methamphetamine use. Addiction Biology, 27(5), e13205. https://doi.org/10.1111/adb.13205

Rice, M., Dean, A. C., Suh, J., & London, E. D. (2022). Denial and Diagnosis of Methamphetamine Dependence Severity. Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment, 16, 11782218221135720. https://doi.org/10.1177/11782218221135721

Wolitzky-Taylor, K., Glasner, S., Tanner, A., Ghahremani, D. G., & London, E. D. (2022). Targeting maladaptive reactivity to negative affect in emerging adults with cannabis use disorder: A preliminary test and proof of concept. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 150, 104032. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2022.104032

Zorick, T., Okita, K., Renard, K. B., Mandelkern, M. A., Brody, A. L., & London, E. D. (2022). The Effects of Citalopram and Thalamic Dopamine D2/3 Receptor Availability on Decision-Making and Loss Aversion in Alcohol Dependence. Psychiatry Journal, 2022, 5663274. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/5663274

2021

Burnette, E. M., Grodin, E. N., Ghahremani, D. G., Galván, A., Kohno, M., Ray, L. A., & London, E. D. (2021). Diminished cortical response to risk and loss during risky decision making in alcohol use disorder. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 218, 108391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108391

Cao, Z., Ottino-Gonzalez, J., Cupertino, R. B., Schwab, N., Hoke, C., Catherine, O., Cousijn, J., Dagher, A., Foxe, J. J., Goudriaan, A. E., Hester, R., Hutchison, K., Li, C.-S. R., London, E. D., Lorenzetti, V., Luijten, M., Martin-Santos, R., Momenan, R., Paulus, M. P., … Garavan, H. (2021). Mapping cortical and subcortical asymmetries in substance dependence: Findings from the ENIGMA Addiction Working Group. Addiction Biology, 26(5), e13010. https://doi.org/10.1111/adb.13010

Dean, A. C., Nurmi, E. L., Morales, A. M., Cho, A. K., Seaman, L. C., & London, E. D. (2021). CYP2D6 genotype may moderate measures of brain structure in methamphetamine users. Addiction Biology, 26(3), e12950. https://doi.org/10.1111/adb.12950

Ghahremani, D. G., Pochon, J.-B., Perez Diaz, M., Tyndale, R. F., Dean, A. C., & London, E. D. (2021). Functional connectivity of the anterior insula during withdrawal from cigarette smoking. Neuropsychopharmacology, 46(12), 2083–2089. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-021-01036-z

Guttman, Z. R., Ghahremani, D. G., Pochon, J.-B., Dean, A. C., & London, E. D. (2021). Age Influences Loss Aversion Through Effects on Posterior Cingulate Cortical Thickness. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2021.673106

Lam, M., Chen, C.-Y., Ge, T., Xia, Y., Hill, D. W., Trampush, J. W., Yu, J., Knowles, E., Davies, G., Stahl, E. A., Huckins, L., Liewald, D. C., Djurovic, S., Melle, I., Christoforou, A., Reinvang, I., DeRosse, P., Lundervold, A. J., Steen, V. M., … Lencz, T. (2021). Identifying nootropic drug targets via large-scale cognitive GWAS and transcriptomics. Neuropsychopharmacology, 46(10), 1788–1801. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-021-01023-4

Nie, L., Ghahremani, D. G., Mandelkern, M. A., Dean, A. C., Luo, W., Ren, A., Li, J., & London, E. D. (2021). The relationship between duration of abstinence and gray-matter brain structure in chronic methamphetamine users. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 47(1), 65–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/00952990.2020.1778712

Perez Diaz, M., Pochon, J.-B., Ghahremani, D. G., Dean, A. C., Faulkner, P., Petersen, N., Tyndale, R. F., Donis, A., Paez, D., Cahuantzi, C., Hellemann, G. S., & London, E. D. (2021). Sex Differences in the Association of Cigarette Craving With Insula Structure. The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 24(8), 624–633. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijnp/pyab015

Petersen, N., Kearley, N. W., Ghahremani, D. G., Pochon, J.-B., Fry, M. E., Rapkin, A. J., & London, E. D. (2021). Effects of oral contraceptive pills on mood and magnetic resonance imaging measures of prefrontal cortical thickness. Molecular Psychiatry, 26(3), 917–926. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-00990-2

Petersen, N., Rapkin, A. J., Okita, K., Kinney, K. R., Mizuno, T., Mandelkern, M. A., & London, E. D. (2021). Striatal dopamine D2-type receptor availability and peripheral 17β-estradiol. Molecular Psychiatry, 26(6), 2038–2047. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-01000-1

van Nunen, L. J., Lake, M. T., Ipser, J. C., Stein, D. J., Shoptaw, S. J., & London, E. D. (2021). Executive Function and Contingency Management in Methamphetamine Use Disorder. Journal of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, 9(5), 342.

2020

Bari, A. A., Sparks, H., Levinson, S., Wilson, B., London, E. D., Langevin, J.-P., & Pouratian, N. (2020). Amygdala Structural Connectivity Is Associated With Impulsive Choice and Difficulty Quitting Smoking. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 14, 117. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00117

Faulkner, P., Dean, A. C., Ghahremani, D. G., & London, E. D. (2020). Neural Basis of Smoking-Related Difficulties in Emotion Regulation. The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 23(7), 409–416. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijnp/pyaa015

Lake, M. T., Shoptaw, S., Ipser, J. C., Takada, S., van Nunen, L. J., Lipinska, G., Stein, D. J., & London, E. D. (2020). Decision-Making by Patients With Methamphetamine Use Disorder Receiving Contingency Management Treatment: Magnitude and Frequency Effects. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 22. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00022

Lim, A. C., Grodin, E. N., Green, R., Venegas, A., Meredith, L. R., Courtney, K. E., Moallem, N. R., Sayegh, P., London, E. D., & Ray, L. A. (2020). Executive function moderates naltrexone effects on methamphetamine-induced craving and subjective responses. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 46(5), 565–576. https://doi.org/10.1080/00952990.2020.1741002

London, E. D., Okita, K., Kinney, K. R., Dean, A. C., McClintick, M. N., Rizor, E. J., Johnson, M. C., Mahmoudie, T., Brody, A. L., Nurmi, E. L., Seaman, L. C., Farahi, J., Ginder, N., & Mandelkern, M. A. (2020). No significant elevation of translocator protein binding in the brains of recently abstinent methamphetamine users. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 213, 108104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108104

Moeller, S. J., Kundu, P., Bachi, K., Maloney, T., Malaker, P., Parvaz, M. A., Alia-Klein, N., London, E. D., & Goldstein, R. Z. (2020). Self-awareness of problematic drug use: Preliminary validation of a new fMRI task to assess underlying neurocircuitry. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 209, 107930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.107930

Okafor, C. N., Stein, D. J., Dannatt, L., Ipser, J., van Nunen, L. J., Lake, M. T., Krishnamurti, T., London, E. D., & Shoptaw, S. (2020). Contingency management treatment for methamphetamine use disorder in South Africa. Drug and Alcohol Review, 39(3), 216–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.13019

Thorberg, F. A., Hasking, P., Huang, Y.-L., Lyvers, M., Young, R. M., Connor, J. P., London, E. D., & Feeney, G. F. X. (2020). The Influence of Alexithymia on Alcohol Craving, Health-Related Quality of Life and Gender in Alcohol-Dependent Outpatients. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 52(4), 366–376. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2020.1762022

Review Articles

2025

London, E. D., Groman, S. M., Leyton, M., & de Wit, H. (2025). The mesocorticolimbic system in stimulant use disorder. Molecular Psychiatry, 30(11), 5486–5499. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-025-03148-0

2024

Addiction Cue-Reactivity Initiative (ACRI) Network, Sangchooli, A., Zare-Bidoky, M., Fathi Jouzdani, A., Schacht, J., Bjork, J. M., Claus, E. D., Prisciandaro, J. J., Wilson, S. J., Wüstenberg, T., Potvin, S., Ahmadi, P., Bach, P., Baldacchino, A., Beck, A., Brady, K. T., Brewer, J. A., Childress, A. R., Courtney, K. E., … Ekhtiari, H. (2024). Parameter Space and Potential for Biomarker Development in 25 Years of fMRI Drug Cue Reactivity: A Systematic Review. JAMA Psychiatry, 81(4), 414–425. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.5483

2023

2022

2021

Petzold, J., Szumlinski, K. K., & London, E. D. (2021). Targeting mGlu5 for Methamphetamine Use Disorder. Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 224, 107831. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pharmthera.2021.107831

2020

London, E. D. (2020). Human Brain Imaging Links Dopaminergic Systems to Impulsivity. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences, 47, 53–71. https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2019_125


Resources

UCLA Graduate Programs

UCLA Interdepartmental Ph.D. Program in Neuroscience

UCLA Molecular & Medical Pharmacology Graduate Program

UCLA Centerss

UCLA Staglin IMHRO Center for Cognitive Neuroscience 

UCLA Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center 

UCLA Brain Research Institute 

UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids  

UCLA Center for Neurovisceral Sciences & Women’s Health 

UCLA Health Integrative Medicine Collaborative