The Boehm Lab is directed by Dr. Stephen Boehm.
His research group is interested in adolescent drug and alcohol intake and its impact on brain and behavior. Their research breaks down into five major topics:
the neurobiology of compulsive alcohol consumption,
the environmental determinants of drug use behavior,
the brain and behavioral effects of adolescent edible cannabis,
the brain and behavioral effects of high-fat diet consumption,
and experimental treatments for toxoplasmosis.
As an undergraduate research assistant, you will direct research projects working alongside faculty and graduate students. If you are interested in joining our lab, please submit the Research Assistant application.
Apply nowDr. Stephen Boehm received his PhD from the Oregon Health & Science University in 2002 where he explored the genetic underpinnings of alcohol sensitivity in mice. He went on to do postdoctoral work at the University of Texas at Austin where he studied the role of brain GABAA receptors in the pharmacological actions of alcohol and other sedative hypnotic drugs.
Dr. Boehm joined the Psychology faculty at Binghamton University in 2005 where he engaged in National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)-funded work investigating brain GABAA receptors pharmacology and binge alcohol drinking in mice. It was during his time at Binghamton that his interest in adolescent drug and alcohol use developed.
Dr. Boehm was recruited to the IUPUI Department of Psychology in 2009 where his interest in adolescent drug and alcohol intake and its impact on brain and behavior have continued. He is currently an investigator with the NIH/NIAAA-funded Indiana Alcohol Research Center. He is also a funded investigator with the IU Addictions Grand Challenge initiative.
Dr. Boehm is the founding Director of the Undergraduate Neuroscience Program, and training faculty in the Addiction Neuroscience Graduate Program. He teaches undergraduate courses in Behavioral Neuroscience, Systems Neuroscience, and Drugs & Behavior, and is currently training five graduate students and a postdoctoral fellow.
Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2005
Behavioral and Molecular Pharmacology
University of Texas at Austin
Ph.D., 2002
Behavioral Neuroscience
Oregon Health & Science University, Portland
B.A., 2004
Psychology
University of Northern Colorado, Greeley
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*indicates undergraduate trainee, †indicates graduate trainee, Ʌindicates postdoctoral trainee
Kasten C, Zhang Y, Mackie K, Boehm II SL (2017) Short-term genetic selection for adolescent locomotor sedative sensitivity to D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Behavior Genetics, in press.
+Kasten CR, Zhang Y, Boehm II SL (2017) Acute and long-term effects of D9-tetrahydrocannabinol on memory and anxiety are age- and strain-dependent in mice. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, 163:9-19.
+Melon LC, *Nolan ZT, Colar D, +Moore EM, Boehm II SL (2017) Activation of extrasynaptic GABAA receptors and inhibition of neurosteroid synthesis have separable estrous-dependent effects on binge drinking. Hormones and Behavior, 95:65-75. PMCID: PMC5623082.
+Kasten CR, *Frazee AM, Boehm II SL (2016) Developing a model of binge-like nicotine consumption in C57BL/5J mice. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, 148:28-37. PMCID: PMC4972646.
+Fritz BM, VQuoilin C, +Kasten CR, +Smoker M, Boehm II SL (2016) Concomitant caffeine increases binge consumption of ethanol in adolescent and adult mice, but produces additive motor stimulation only in adolescent animals. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 40:1351-1360. PMCID: PMC4889470.
VQuoilin C, Boehm II SL (2016) Involvement of the GABAA receptor in age-dependent differences in binge-like ethanol intake. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 40:408-417. PMCID - in process.
+Linsenbardt DN, Boehm II SL (2015) Relative fluid novelty differentially alters the time course of limited-access ethanol and water intake in selectively bred high-alcohol-preferring mice. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 39:621-630. PMCID: PMC4384188.
+Kasten CR, *Blasingame SN, Boehm II SL (2015) Bidirectional enantioselective effects of the GABAB receptor agonist baclofen in two mouse models of excessive ethanol consumption. Alcohol, 49:37-46. PMCID: PMC4314367.
Progressive loss of control over (compulsive) alcohol consumption is a hallmark of alcohol use disorder. The dorsal striatum is believed key in the transition to compulsive alcohol consumption. A project in collaboration with Dr. Nick Grahame (Dept. of Psychology, Purdue School of Science) is exploring the role of dorsal striatal AMPA receptors in the development of compulsive-like alcohol consumption in mice. The project is funded by a component grant with the NIH/NIAAA-supported Indiana Alcohol Research Center.
Health disparity lies at the core of drug and alcohol addiction in Indiana. This project seeks to test whether early life exposure to the challenged living conditions associated with health disparity in the State (early life exposure to lead (Pb) from old industrial sites, over-crowding, and food insufficiency) alter later drug-related behavior in mice. This work is funded by a grant from the IU Indiana Grand Challenges initiative.
The impact of the drug on the developing adolescent brain is not well understood. A project in collaboration with Dr. Ken Mackie (Dept. of Psychological and Brain Sciences, IU Bloomington) is working to develop a mouse model of edible D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) consumption/exposure. THC is the major psychoactive component of cannabis. This work is supported by a collaborative grant from the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI).
Consumption of a Western-style high-fat diet has been associated with the development of type-2 diabetes, and type-2 diabetes has been associated with Alzheimer's disease, in humans. A project in collaboration with Dr. Jeff Elmendorf (Dept. of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, IU School of Medicine) seeks to determine whether consumption of a high-fat diet sufficient to produce a pre-diabetic state in mice also produces early cognitive decline, as well as altered brain cholesterol accumulation, in these animals. This project is funded by a collaborative grant from the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI).
Exposure to the parasite Toxoplasma gondii produces a characteristic brain and behavioral abnormalities in humans. A project in collaboration with Dr. Bill Sullivan (Dept. of Pharmacology and Toxicology, IU School of Medicine) seeks to test several experimental therapeutic interventions in the treatment of Toxoplasmosis in mice. A collaborative grant supporting this work has been submitted to the NIH.
Dr. Boehm is always interested in providing undergraduate students the chance to get involved in research.
To find out if you would be a good fit for the lab, or just want to learn more, submit the application.
Dr. Boehm is affiliated with the Addiction Neuroscience.
Graduate students under different advisors who are interested in working in the Boehm lab are welcome and should contact Dr. Boehm to learn more.
Yanping Zhang, M.S.
Research Technician
Claudia Rangel-Barajas, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Mike Smoker, M.S.
Daniel Vigil, M.S.
Jen Martynowicz, B.S.
Maribel Hernández, B.S.
Dan Garcy, B.S.
Meredith Watson, B.S.
Michaela Runkle
Christa Houck
Jenna Harvey
Dane Schafer
Amy Lauer, Ph.D.
2010-11
Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Marymount California University
Caroline Quoilin, Ph.D.
2013-14
Currently a postdoctoral fellow, Universite Catholique de Louvain
Michel Companion, B.S.
2012-15
Currently a graduate student, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
Brandon Fritz, Ph.D.
2010-16
Currently a postdoctoral fellow, IU School of Medicine
Chelsea Kasten, Ph.D.
2011-17
Currently a postdoctoral fellow, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
David Linsenbardt, Ph.D.
2006-12
Assistant Research Professor, IUPUI
Laverne Melón, Ph.D.
2007-13
Currently a postdoctoral fellow, Tufts University
Eileen Moore, Ph.D.
2005-12
Assistant Research Professor, San Diego State University
Shelby Blasingame, B.S.
2012-14
Academic Advisor, Herron High School
Ashley Frazee, M.S.
2013-17
Currently a graduate student, IUPUI
Lauren Kruse, Ph.D.
2009-10
Currently a postdoctoral fellow, University of Washington
Zachary Nolan, B.S.
2009-11
Currently a M.D./Ph.D. student, Penn State College of Medicine
Willie O’Neal, B.S.
2015-17
Currently a M.D. student, IU School of Medicine
Brandy Schneider, M.S
2009-11
Currently a graduate student, Wayne State University
Andrew Vore, M.S.
2009-12
Currently a graduate student, Binghamton University