Nebraska Center for Substance Abuse

• About Us

  Addiction caused by abused substances such as alcohol, opiates, cocaine and methamphetamine continues to be a serious public health problem affecting the health, social, and economic fabric of all societies in the United States and globally- it has no borders.  Many of the nation’s top health problems including cancer, cardiovascular and infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS & Hepatitis, are directly linked to substance abuse. Furthermore, addiction also goes hand in hand with mental health. This is of special concern in the aging population who face increased incidences of mental illnesses such as Alzheimer’s/Parkinson’s diseases & depression. In fact almost 50% of individuals with severe mental health disorders have a co-morbidity of substance abuse and almost 37% of alcohol abusers and 53% of drug abusers have at least one serious mental disorder. The underlying molecular mechanisms by which drugs of abuse impair cognitive functioning and manifest addiction is an area of active investigation and needs multidisciplinary approach.

  The Nebraska Center for Substance Abuse Research (NCSAR) is committed to facilitating trans-disciplinary research in the area of substance abuse and its consequences on the biological functioning within the CNS, with the ultimate goal of developing therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing and treating drug addiction and the associated co-morbidities. NCSAR comprises of faculty both internationally and across the UNMC campuses with interests in substance abuse and neuroscience research, outreach & education, including faculty from the School of Medicine, School of Public Health, UNL and Veterans Affairs and Creighton University. NCSAR is striving to become a harmonizing force for translational research in addiction/mental health based on a strategy of developing and nurturing opportunities for interdisciplinary investigations and training new investigators in translational science. NCSAR fosters, engages and facilitates collaborations among basic and clinical scientists from various disciplines to advance bidirectional bench to bedside research with the ultimate unified goal of improving the lives of those afflicted with addiction. As part of our educational mission, NCSAR is dedicated to mentoring and training the next generation of scientists in substance abuse research. The Center will invite national and international experts on substance abuse research at the monthly seminar series and at the annual colloquium to disseminate the latest emerging trends in the field. Developing educational programs geared at uprooting substance abuse problems from the Society by inspiring lifestyle, grassroots change is also the focus of the Center. Together we can eliminate addiction!

  Welcome to our site!

  Sincerely,

  Shilpa Buch, Ph.D.

  Director, NCSAR

1. Singh S, Deshetty UM, Ray S, Oladapo A, Horanieh E, Buch S, Periyasamy P. Non-Coding RNAs in HIV Infection, NeuroHIV, and Related Comorbidities. Cells. 2024;13(11). Epub 20240523. doi: 10.3390/cells13110898. PubMed PMID: 38891030; PMCID: PMC11171711.
2. Periyasamy P, Buch S. Pore-forming neurons: a new paradigm of pyroptotic cell death in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder. Brain. 2024;147(2):335-6. doi: 10.1093/brain/awad435. PubMed PMID: 38134311; PMCID: PMC10834241.
3. Kumar M, Swanson N, Ray S, Buch S, Saraswathi V, Sil S. Astrocytes in Amyloid Generation and Alcohol Metabolism: Implications of Alcohol Use in Neurological Disorder(s). Cells. 2024;13(14). Epub 20240710. doi: 10.3390/cells13141173. PubMed PMID: 39056755; PMCID: PMC11274690.
4. Deshetty UM, Chatterjee N, Buch S, Periyasamy P. HIV-1 Tat-Mediated Human Müller Glial Cell Senescence Involves Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Dysregulated Autophagy. Viruses. 2024;16(6). Epub 20240603. doi: 10.3390/v16060903. PubMed PMID: 38932195; PMCID: PMC11209317.
5. Chemparathy DT, Ray S, Ochs C, Ferguson N, Gawande DY, Dravid SM, Callen S, Sil S, Buch S. Neuropathogenic role of astrocyte-derived extracellular vesicles in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. J Extracell Vesicles. 2024;13(4):e12439. doi: 10.1002/jev2.12439. PubMed PMID: 38647111; PMCID: PMC11034007.
6. Singh S, Thangaraj A, Chivero ET, Guo ML, Periyasamy P, Buch S. Role of Dysregulated Autophagy in HIV Tat, Cocaine, and cART Mediated NLRP3 Activation in Microglia. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2023;18(3):327-47. Epub 20230506. doi: 10.1007/s11481-023-10063-0. PubMed PMID: 37148425; PMCID: PMC10729649.
7. Pillai PP, Kannan M, Sil S, Singh S, Thangaraj A, Chivero ET, Dagur RS, Tripathi A, Hu G, Periyasamy P, Buch S. Involvement of lncRNA TUG1 in HIV-1 Tat-Induced Astrocyte Senescence. Int J Mol Sci. 2023;24(5). Epub 20230222. doi: 10.3390/ijms24054330. PubMed PMID: 36901763; PMCID: PMC10002460.
8. Kutchy NA, Palermo A, Ma R, Li Z, Ulanov A, Callen S, Siuzdak G, Roy S, Buch S, Hu G. Changes in Plasma Metabolic Signature upon Acute and Chronic Morphine Administration in Morphine-Tolerant Mice. Metabolites. 2023;13(3). Epub 20230316. doi: 10.3390/metabo13030434. PubMed PMID: 36984873; PMCID: PMC10053579.
9. Kannan M, Sil S, Oladapo A, Thangaraj A, Periyasamy P, Buch S. HIV-1 Tat-mediated microglial ferroptosis involves the miR-204-ACSL4 signaling axis. Redox Biol. 2023;62:102689. Epub 20230401. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2023.102689. PubMed PMID: 37023693; PMCID: PMC10106521.
10. Chemparathy DT, Sil S, Callen S, Chand HS, Sopori M, Wyatt TA, Acharya A, Byrareddy SN, Fox HS, Buch S. Inflammation-Associated Lung Tissue Remodeling and Fibrosis in Morphine-Dependent SIV-Infected Macaques. Am J Pathol. 2023;193(4):380-91. doi: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2022.12.016. PubMed PMID: 37003622; PMCID: PMC10116601.
11. Sil S, Thangaraj A, Oladapo A, Hu G, Kutchy NA, Liao K, Buch S, Periyasamy P. Role of Autophagy in HIV-1 and Drug Abuse-Mediated Neuroinflammaging. Viruses. 2022;15(1). Epub 20221223. doi: 10.3390/v15010044. PubMed PMID: 36680084; PMCID: PMC9866731.
12. Periyasamy P, Thangaraj A, Kannan M, Oladapo A, Buch S. The Epigenetic Role of miR-124 in HIV-1 Tat- and Cocaine-Mediated Microglial Activation. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(23). Epub 20221130. doi: 10.3390/ijms232315017. PubMed PMID: 36499350; PMCID: PMC9738975.
13. Liao K, Niu F, Hu G, Buch S. Morphine-mediated release of astrocyte-derived extracellular vesicle miR-23a induces loss of pericyte coverage at the blood-brain barrier: Implications for neuroinflammation. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2022;10:984375. Epub 20221121. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2022.984375. PubMed PMID: 36478740; PMCID: PMC9720401.
14. Chivero ET, Sil S, Singh S, Thangaraj A, Gordon L, Evah-Nzoughe GB, Ferguson N, Callen S, Buch S. Protective Role of Lactobacillus rhamnosus Probiotic in Reversing Cocaine-Induced Oxidative Stress, Glial Activation and Locomotion in Mice. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2022;17(1-2):62-75. Epub 20211009. doi: 10.1007/s11481-021-10020-9. PubMed PMID: 34628571.
15. Chivero ET, Sil S, Kumar M, Buch S. Substance use, microbiome and psychiatric disorders. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2022;219:173432. Epub 20220726. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2022.173432. PubMed PMID: 35905802.
16. Thangaraj A, Chivero ET, Tripathi A, Singh S, Niu F, Guo ML, Pillai P, Periyasamy P, Buch S. HIV TAT-mediated microglial senescence: Role of SIRT3-dependent mitochondrial oxidative stress. Redox Biol. 2021;40:101843. Epub 20201223. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2020.101843. PubMed PMID: 33385630; PMCID: PMC7779826.
17. Sil S, Thangaraj A, Chivero ET, Niu F, Kannan M, Liao K, Silverstein PS, Periyasamy P, Buch S. HIV-1 and drug abuse comorbidity: Lessons learned from the animal models of NeuroHIV. Neurosci Lett. 2021;754:135863. Epub 20210329. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.135863. PubMed PMID: 33794296; PMCID: PMC8108725.
18. Sil S, Singh S, Chemparathy DT, Chivero ET, Gordon L, Buch S. Astrocytes & Astrocyte derived Extracellular Vesicles in Morphine Induced Amyloidopathy: Implications for Cognitive Deficits in Opiate Abusers. Aging Dis. 2021;12(6):1389-408. Epub 20210901. doi: 10.14336/ad.2021.0406. PubMed PMID: 34527417; PMCID: PMC8407877.
19. Sil S, Periyasamy P, Thangaraj A, Niu F, Chemparathy DT, Buch S. Advances in the Experimental Models of HIV-Associated Neurological Disorders. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep. 2021;18(5):459-74. Epub 20210824. doi: 10.1007/s11904-021-00570-1. PubMed PMID: 34427869; PMCID: PMC9123893.
20. Chivero ET, Thangaraj A, Tripathi A, Periyasamy P, Guo ML, Buch S. NLRP3 Inflammasome Blockade Reduces Cocaine-Induced Microglial Activation and Neuroinflammation. Mol Neurobiol. 2021;58(5):2215-30. Epub 20210108. doi: 10.1007/s12035-020-02184-x. PubMed PMID: 33417223; PMCID: PMC8026688.
21. Chivero ET, Dagur RS, Peeples ES, Sil S, Liao K, Ma R, Chen L, Gurumurthy CB, Buch S, Hu G. Biogenesis, physiological functions and potential applications of extracellular vesicles in substance use disorders. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2021;78(11):4849-65. Epub 20210405. doi: 10.1007/s00018-021-03824-8. PubMed PMID: 33821293; PMCID: PMC10563196.
22. Thangaraj A, Periyasamy P, Guo ML, Chivero ET, Callen S, Buch S. Mitigation of cocaine-mediated mitochondrial damage, defective mitophagy and microglial activation by superoxide dismutase mimetics. Autophagy. 2020;16(2):289-312. Epub 20190428. doi: 10.1080/15548627.2019.1607686. PubMed PMID: 30990365; PMCID: PMC6984592.
23. Sil S, Niu F, Chivero ET, Singh S, Periyasamy P, Buch S. Role of Inflammasomes in HIV-1 and Drug Abuse Mediated Neuroinflammaging. Cells. 2020;9(8). Epub 20200808. doi: 10.3390/cells9081857. PubMed PMID: 32784383; PMCID: PMC7464640.
24. Sil S, Dagur RS, Liao K, Peeples ES, Hu G, Periyasamy P, Buch S. Strategies for the use of Extracellular Vesicles for the Delivery of Therapeutics. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2020;15(3):422-42. Epub 20190827. doi: 10.1007/s11481-019-09873-y. PubMed PMID: 31456107; PMCID: PMC7044028.
25. Liao K, Niu F, Hu G, Yang L, Dallon B, Villarreal D, Buch S. Morphine-mediated release of miR-138 in astrocyte-derived extracellular vesicles promotes microglial activation. J Extracell Vesicles. 2020;10(1):e12027. Epub 20201119. doi: 10.1002/jev2.12027. PubMed PMID: 33304479; PMCID: PMC7710131.
26. Hu G, Niu F, Liao K, Periyasamy P, Sil S, Liu J, Dravid SM, Buch S. HIV-1 Tat-Induced Astrocytic Extracellular Vesicle miR-7 Impairs Synaptic Architecture. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2020;15(3):538-53. Epub 20190810. doi: 10.1007/s11481-019-09869-8. PubMed PMID: 31401755; PMCID: PMC7008083.
27. Dagur RS, Liao K, Sil S, Niu F, Sun Z, Lyubchenko YL, Peeples ES, Hu G, Buch S. Neuronal-derived extracellular vesicles are enriched in the brain and serum of HIV-1 transgenic rats. J Extracell Vesicles. 2020;9(1):1703249. Epub 20191220. doi: 10.1080/20013078.2019.1703249. PubMed PMID: 32002168; PMCID: PMC6968593.
28. Chivero ET, Liao K, Niu F, Tripathi A, Tian C, Buch S, Hu G. Engineered Extracellular Vesicles Loaded With miR-124 Attenuate Cocaine-Mediated Activation of Microglia. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2020;8:573. Epub 20200730. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00573. PubMed PMID: 32850781; PMCID: PMC7409518.
29. Burkovetskaya ME, Small R, Guo L, Buch S, Guo ML. Cocaine self-administration differentially activates microglia in the mouse brain. Neurosci Lett. 2020;728:134951. Epub 20200409. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.134951. PubMed PMID: 32278944; PMCID: PMC7275871.
30. Burkovetskaya ME, Liu Q, Vadukoot AK, Gautam N, Alnouti Y, Kumar S, Miczek K, Buch S, Hopkins CR, Guo M. KVA-D-88, a Novel Preferable Phosphodiesterase 4B Inhibitor, Decreases Cocaine-Mediated Reward Properties in Vivo. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2020;11(15):2231-42. Epub 20200717. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00170. PubMed PMID: 32609488; PMCID: PMC8383802.
31. Buch S, Periyasamy P, Thangaraj A, Sil S, Chivero ET, Tripathi A. Opioid-Mediated HIV-1 Immunopathogenesis. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2020;15(4):628-42. Epub 20201008. doi: 10.1007/s11481-020-09960-5. PubMed PMID: 33029670; PMCID: PMC7872067.
32. Tripathi A, Thangaraj A, Chivero ET, Periyasamy P, Callen S, Burkovetskaya ME, Guo ML, Buch S. Antiretroviral-Mediated Microglial Activation Involves Dysregulated Autophagy and Lysosomal Dysfunction. Cells. 2019;8(10). Epub 20190928. doi: 10.3390/cells8101168. PubMed PMID: 31569373; PMCID: PMC6829395.
33. Sil S, Niu F, Tom E, Liao K, Periyasamy P, Buch S. Cocaine Mediated Neuroinflammation: Role of Dysregulated Autophagy in Pericytes. Mol Neurobiol. 2019;56(5):3576-90. Epub 20180827. doi: 10.1007/s12035-018-1325-0. PubMed PMID: 30151726; PMCID: PMC6393223.
34. Niu F, Liao K, Hu G, Sil S, Callen S, Guo ML, Yang L, Buch S. Cocaine-induced release of CXCL10 from pericytes regulates monocyte transmigration into the CNS. J Cell Biol. 2019;218(2):700-21. Epub 20190109. doi: 10.1083/jcb.201712011. PubMed PMID: 30626719; PMCID: PMC6363463.
35. Chivero ET, Ahmad R, Thangaraj A, Periyasamy P, Kumar B, Kroeger E, Feng D, Guo ML, Roy S, Dhawan P, Singh AB, Buch S. Cocaine Induces Inflammatory Gut Milieu by Compromising the Mucosal Barrier Integrity and Altering the Gut Microbiota Colonization. Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):12187. Epub 20190821. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-48428-2. PubMed PMID: 31434922; PMCID: PMC6704112.
36. Yang L, Niu F, Yao H, Liao K, Chen X, Kook Y, Ma R, Hu G, Buch S. Exosomal miR-9 Released from HIV Tat Stimulated Astrocytes Mediates Microglial Migration. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2018;13(3):330-44. Epub 20180301. doi: 10.1007/s11481-018-9779-4. PubMed PMID: 29497921; PMCID: PMC6082702.
37. Hu G, Niu F, Humburg BA, Liao K, Bendi S, Callen S, Fox HS, Buch S. Molecular mechanisms of long noncoding RNAs and their role in disease pathogenesis. Oncotarget. 2018;9(26):18648-63. Epub 20180101. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.24307. PubMed PMID: 29719633; PMCID: PMC5915100.
38. Hu G, Liao K, Niu F, Yang L, Dallon BW, Callen S, Tian C, Shu J, Cui J, Sun Z, Lyubchenko YL, Ka M, Chen XM, Buch S. Astrocyte EV-Induced lincRNA-Cox2 Regulates Microglial Phagocytosis: Implications for Morphine-Mediated Neurodegeneration. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids. 2018;13:450-63. Epub 20180929. doi: 10.1016/j.omtn.2018.09.019. PubMed PMID: 30388619; PMCID: PMC6202788.
39. Hu G, Liao K, Yang L, Pendyala G, Kook Y, Fox HS, Buch S. Tat-Mediated Induction of miRs-34a & -138 Promotes Astrocytic Activation via Downregulation of SIRT1: Implications for Aging in HAND. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2017;12(3):420-32. Epub 20170224. doi: 10.1007/s11481-017-9730-0. PubMed PMID: 28236278; PMCID: PMC5546000.
40. Hu G, Yang L, Cai Y, Niu F, Mezzacappa F, Callen S, Fox HS, Buch S. Emerging roles of extracellular vesicles in neurodegenerative disorders: focus on HIV-associated neurological complications. Cell Death Dis. 2016;7(11):e2481. Epub 20161124. doi: 10.1038/cddis.2016.336. PubMed PMID: 27882942; PMCID: PMC5260908.

Steven A. Soper, Ph.D.

Foundation Distinguished Professor

Chemistry, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, KU

2184 GL (ISB)

Lawrence

1567 Irving Hill Rd

Lawrence, KS 66045

Email: ssoper@ku.edu

Asha Kallianpur, MD, MPH

Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Medicine,

Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University

Wolstein Research Building 2520

2103 Cornell Road

Cleveland, OH 44106

Email: kalliaa@ccf.org

Rick Bevins, Ph.D.

Mildred Francis Thompson University Professor & Director of Rural Drug Addiction Research Center

Department of Psychology

College of Arts and Sciences

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Burnett Hall (BURN) 238

Lincoln NE 68588-0308

Email: rbevins1@unl.edu

Mitzi Nagarkatti, Ph.D.

SmartState Endowed Chair of Center for Cancer Drug Discovery

Department Chair; Carolina Distinguished Professor

Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology

School of Medicine Columbia

University of South Carolina

Basic Science Bldg 1, Rm C-26

Email: mitzi.nagarkatti@uscmed.sc.edu

Julie Saugstad, Ph.D.

Professor           

Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine

Oregon Health and Sciences University

Portland, OR, USA.

Email: saugstad@ohsu.edu   

Gagan Deep, Ph.D.

Professor

Department of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Biotech Place, 3E-031, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA.

Email:gdeep@wakehealth.edu

Prakash Nagarkatti, Ph.D.                                          

Senior Research Advisor to the President, Vice President for Research Emeritus; Carolina Distinguished Professor,

Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology,

School of Medicine Columbia

University of South Carolina

Columbia, SC 29208

Email:  pnagark@uscmed.sc.edu

Erik J Garcia, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, USA.                                                              

Email:ejgarcia@unomaha.edu

Nivedita Chatterjee, Ph.D.

Principal Scientist

Larsen & Toubro of Ocular Pathology Department

Vision Research Foundation

Chennai, India

Email: drnc@snmail.org

Prakash Pillai, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Zoology,

The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda,

Baroda, India

Email: prakash.pillai-zoo@msubaroda.ac.in