Dr. Katherine M. Serafine
Research in Dr. Serafine’s behavioral pharmacology laboratory focuses on the different factors that contribute to individual differences in vulnerability to drug abuse. To investigate these factors, Dr. Serafine uses preclinical models to investigate how factors such as age, sex and diet impact sensitivity to drugs of abuse like cocaine. Drug sensitivity is assessed using behavioral pharmacological models ranging from unconditioned behavior (e.g., locomotion) to more complex behaviors using classical and operant conditioning (e.g., conditioned place preference, drug discrimination, or intravenous self-administration). Students in the laboratory will receive hands on training on how to run behavioral experiments that help answer important questions about abuse vulnerability. Dr. Serafine’s current research interests include studying how diets high in fat or sugar change individual sensitivity to cocaine and other drugs that act on dopamine systems, as well as the impact of diet on sensitivity to alcohol. Dr. Serafine is also interested in considering differential impact of age, sex and diet on sensitivity to prescription drugs such as antidepressants and drugs used to treat obesity.
UTEP Faculty Profile
Sample Publications:
Hernandez-Casner C, Woloshchuk CJ, Poisson C, Hussain S, *Ramos J, Serafine KM. (2019) Dietary supplementation with fish oil reverses high fat diet-induced enhanced sensitivity to the behavioral effects of quinpirole. Behav Pharmacol, 30(4): 370-375. PMID: 31085944
Cruz B, Flores RJ, Uribe KP, Espinosa EJ, Spencer CT, Serafine KM, Nazarian A, O’Dell LE. (2019) Insulin modulates the strong reinforcing effects of nicotine and changes in insulin biomarkers in a rodent model of diabetes. Neuropsychopharmacol, doi: 10.1038/s41386-018-0306-3. 44(6): 1141-1151. PMID: 30647447
Ramos J, Hernandez-Casner C, Cruz B, Serafine KM. (2019) Sex differences in high fat diet-induced impairments to striatal Akt signaling and enhanced sensitivity to the behavioral effects of dopamine D2/D3 receptor agonist quinpirole. Physiol Behav,1; 203: 25-32. PMID: 29154786
Hernandez Casner, C, Ramos J, Serafine KM. (2017) Dietary supplementation with fish oil prevents high fat diet-induced enhancement of sensitivity to the behavioral effects of quinpirole. Behav Pharmacol 28(6): 477-484. PMID: 28574870
Contact Information
Email: kmserafine2@utep.edu
Phone: 1-915-747-6566
Fax: 1-915-747-6553
Psychology 216B
Personal Information
Ph.D., American University (2012)
Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director
Courses
PSYC 1301 Introduction to Psychology
PSYC 2324 Introductory Neuroscience
PSYC 3346 Drugs of Abuse and Behavior
PSYC 6315 Psychopharmacology
PSYC 6355 Neuroscience Breadth Seminar: The Politics of Drugs