Shelley Su

Dr. Shelley Su is interested in elucidating the neural mechanisms subserving psychostimulant abuse and relapse. During her undergraduate and graduate career, the main focus of her research was concentrated on understanding motivational factors contributing to relapse vulnerability. She hopes to broaden her research background by including some knowledge and training in how the deleterious effects of psychostimulant administration impair decision making and if perturbed decision making enhances relapse risk in rodent models.

Under the guidance of Dr. Stan Floresco, she will gain experience in performing in vivo electrophysiological cell recording and exposure to the many rodent models of decision making and behavioral flexibility. With these added skills and knowledge, Dr. Su hopes to become a well-rounded independent researcher at a top-tier university.


Affiliation

University: University of British Columbia
Faculty: Arts
Department: Psychology
Position: Post-Doctoral Research Fellow


Recent Publications

Su ZI, Kichaev G, Wenzel J, Ben-Shahar O, Ettenberg A. Weakening of negative relative to positive associations with cocaine-paired cues contributes to cue-induced responding after drug removal. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2012 Jan;100(3):458-63. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2011.10.006. Epub 2011 Oct 8. (PubMed abstract)

Su ZI, Wenzel J, Baird R, Ettenberg A. Comparison of self-administration behavior and responsiveness to drug-paired cues in rats running an alley for intravenous heroin and cocaine. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2011 Apr;214(3):769-78. doi: 10.1007/s00213-010-2088-0. Epub 2010 Nov 18. (PubMed abstract)

Su ZI, Santoostaroam A, Wenzel J, Ettenberg A. On the persistence of cocaine-induced place preferences and aversions in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2013 Apr 9. [Epub ahead of print] (PubMed abstract)

Su ZI, Wenzel J, Ettenberg A, Ben-Shahar O. Prior extended daily access to cocaine elevates the reward threshold in a conditioned place preference test. Addict Biol. 2013 May 1. doi: 10.1111/adb.12053. [Epub ahead of print] (PubMed abstract)

Kerstetter KA, Su ZI, Ettenberg A, Kippin TE. Sex and estrous cycle differences in cocaine-induced approach-avoidance conflict. Addict Biol. 2013 Mar;18(2):222-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1369-1600.2010.00292.x. Epub 2011 Feb 11. (PubMed abstract)

Affiliation

Awards