What does the way we learn have to do with drug addiction? In our fourth episode, Erin Calipari, associate professor of pharmacology and director of the Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, joins Provost C. Cybele Raver for an enlightening conversation. In this episode, they discuss nucleus accumbens—the part of our brain that helps us link cues and outcomes—and dissect how it affects the ways we make decisions that can lead to addictions, from food or drugs to behaviors.
Through cross-disciplinary research, Calipari and her team are finding the answers to questions like, “Is TikTok truly addictive?” and “How does the brain connect habits to environments?”—all toward better understanding addiction.
Just eight years into her career, Calipari has already won millions in research funding support and a 2024 Society for Neuroscience Outstanding Career and Research Achievement Award.
This episode was recorded before the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced potential cuts to research funding.
Credits
The Quantum Potential podcast is produced by Vanderbilt University. The leadership team includes Metanoya Z. Webb, director of content and editorial strategy and editor-in-chief of Vanderbilt Magazine, and Sydney Jones-Wright, director of academic affairs communications. Patrick Sams is the senior social media specialist, and Maisie Wilson is the senior creative project manager. Mike Todd is the university visual media manager.
Special thanks to Jad Abumrad, Vanderbilt University Distinguished Research Professor of Communication of Science and Technology and the executive producer of the Quantum Potential podcast and video series.
For more information about Quantum Potential, go to vanderbilt.edu/quantumpotential/podcast.