Department of Psychological Sciences

Mary E. Cain, Ph. D.

Mary CainContact Information

Office: BH 424
Phone: 532-6884
E-mail: mecain@ksu.edu

 

Center for Cognitive and Neurobiological Approaches to Plasticity (CNAP)

Research Interests

My research program examines the neural mechanisms of reward. We focus on the impact of the early environment on drug-taking and relapse to drug-taking in adulthood. Below are two ongoing projects in the laboratory.

  1. Glutamate transmission:We are examining if changes to glutamate transmission contribute to relapse. To complete this project, we use a combination of tools including behavioral pharmacology, western blots, and immunohistochemistry. Our results indicate that the early rearing environment alters glutamate transmission that results in differential responses to cues associated with psychostimulant self-administration.
    • Funding source: R15 DA035435-02; The Effects of Differential Rearing on Glutamate Homeostasis and Addiction
    • Recent publications (# indicates graduate student author):
      1. # Garcia, E.J., & Cain, M.E. (2021). Isolation housing elevates amphetamine seeking independent of nucleus accumbens glutamate receptor adaptations. European Journal of Neuroscience. PMCID PMC9869284 org/10.1111/ejn.15441
      2. # Fort, T.D & Cain, M.E. (2023). Inefficacy of N-acetylcysteine in mitigating cue induced relapse to amphetamine. Addiction Neuroscience, 8, December 2023. org/10.1016/j.addicn.2023.100119
  1. Hedonic value: We are examining if different rearing environments during early life alters the alters the liking of rewards. We are also examining if consumption of cannabinoids shifts the hedonic value of rewards. To complete these projects, we use a combination of tools including taste reactivity, behavioral pharmacology, intracranial microinfusions, immunohistochemistry, and diffusion weighted imaging. Our results indicate that isolation during early life shifts the hedonic set-point. We are also observing that edible cannabinoids shift the hedonic value of alcohol and sucrose.
    • Funding source: P20 GM113109; Rearing-induced Plasticity and Incentive Motivation for Ethanol
    • Recent publications (# indicates graduate student author):
      1. # Wukitsch, T.J., Brase, E.C., Moser, T.J., Kiefer, S.W., & Cain, M.E. (2020). Differential rearing alters taste reactivity to ethanol, sucrose, and quinine. Psychopharmacology, 237, 583-597. PMCID: PMC7747299. doi.org/10.1007/s00213-019-05394-x
      2. #Wukitsch, T.J., Moser, T.J., Brase, E.C., Kiefer, S.W., & Cain, M.E. (2020). Adolescent ethanol exposure and differential rearing environment affect taste reactivity to ethanol in rats. Alcohol, 89, 113-122. PMCID: PMC7722211 doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2020.09.001
      3. Payne, M, Mali, I, Mueller, T, Cain, M. E. , Segev, R, & Bossmann, S.H. (2023). Super resolution reconstruction in ultra-high field MRI. Biophysical Reports, 3(2), org/10.1016/j.bpr.2023.100107.

Link to additional publications

Student Involvement

Undergraduate and graduate students working in the laboratory are involved in all aspects of the research process. Depending upon the students' interest, they can learn small animal stereotaxic surgery, Pavlovian and operant conditioning models, intravenous self-administration, brain microinfusions, western blots and histology. Students will learn how to design projects, write grants to fund the projects, analyze the data, and will be given the opportunity to contribute to the publication of the results. In addition to publications, students are encouraged to attend scientific meetings (e.g. The Society for Neuroscience) to present their research. In general, graduate students are funded with federal grants when money is available or through departmental graduate teaching assistantships. Dr. Cain can be contacted by email (mecain@ksu.edu) by students interested in more information about opportunities in her lab.

Current Graduate Students

Troy Fort, MS 2022 Kansas State University. Dissertation project: Modulating Endocannabinoid Signaling to Treat Methamphetamine Relapse

Dylan Laux, M.S. 2024 North Central College. Thesis project: Effects of Edible Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol at Low Doses on Locomotor Behavior in Adult Rats

Miki Azuma, B.S. 2022 Kansas State University. Thesis project: Effects of Social Isolation and Sex on the Propensity to Binge Drink and Subsequent White Matter Degradation

Recent lab alumni

TJ Wukitsch, MS 2021: Research Specialist at Medical University of South Carolina Department of Neuroscience

Erik Garcia, PhD 2017: Assistant Professor at University of Nebraska Omaha. Completed postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Center for Addiction Research

David Arndt, PhD 2016: Field Medical Director at Calliditas Therapeutics. Completed postdoctoral fellow at the Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics Training Program at the University of Chicago.

Maggie Gill, PhD 2010: Associate Professor at North Central College. Completed postdoctoral training at the Medical University of South Carolina.