Richard M. Allen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology
Office: NC 5008H
Office Phone: 303-556-6740
Fax: 303-556-3520
E-mail: richard.allen@cudenver.edu
Biosketch
Education
- Ph.D. in Neurobiology, 1999, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- B.A. in Psychology and in Music, 1993, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York
Employment
- Associate Professor of Psychology, 2008-present, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado
- Assistant Professor of Psychology, 2001-2008, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado
- Research Assistant Professor of Psychology, 1999-2001, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Select Honors and Awards
- Faculty Award for Outstanding Student Mentoring, University of Colorado Denver, 2007
- Teaching Excellence Award, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Colorado Denver, 2006
- Excellence in Research and Creative Activities Award, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Colorado at Denver, 2004
- Early Career Investigator Travel Award, College on Problems of Drug Dependence, 2004
Research Interests
Given that drug dependence (i.e., "addiction") is a significant threat to personal and public health, the research in my laboratory seeks to identify the kinds of specific neurobiological and behavioral changes that may occur in a drug using individual as they transition from occasional use of a psychoactive drug of abuse to drug addiction. Ongoing research in my laboratory tests the hypothesis that escalation of cocaine consumption is mediated through activation of the glutamate system, specifically through activation of NMDA receptors. These studies use an animal model of drug-taking behavior called the drug self-administration procedure, which can be used to reveal escalations of cocaine intake over time. This model provides a valuable preclinical tool for assessing the neurobiological changes that take place during this transition. Additionally, research in my laboratory seeks to describe the pharmacological, neurobiological, and behavioral mechanisms that contribute to the abuse potential of some psychoactive drugs. To this end, we are currently testing the roles of drug efficacy and receptor selectivity in the motivational effects of mixed action opioid analgesics.
Representative Publications
Allen RM, Uban KA, Atwood BA, Albeck DA, and Yamamoto DY (2007) Continuous intracerebroventricular infusion of the competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, LY235959, facilitates escalation of cocaine self-administration and increases break point for cocaine in Sprague-Dawley rats. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior. 88: 82-88.
Allen RM, Everett CV, Nelson AM, Gulley JM, and Zahniser NR (2007) Low and high locomotor responsiveness to intravenous cocaine predicts cocaine conditioned place preference in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior. 86: 37–44.
Allen RM, Dykstra LA, and Carelli RM (2007) Continuous exposure to the competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, LY235959, facilitates escalation of cocaine consumption in Sprague-Dawley rats. Psychopharmacology. 191: 341-351.
Allen RM, Carelli RM, Dykstra LA, Suchey TL, and Everett CV (2005) Effects of the competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, (-)-6-phosphonomethyl -deca-hydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid (LY235959), on responding for cocaine under both fixed and progressive ratio schedules of reinforcement. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 315: 449-457.