Research activities in the Department of Pharmacology are focused primarily in the areas of (1) Neuropharmacology, (2) Aging, (3) Autonomic & Endocrine Homeostasis, and (4) Cancer Biology. Our investigators use research approaches that incorporate molecular, single cell electrophysiological, imaging, neurochemical, and behavioral techniques. The neuropharmacology group focuses on substance abuse, psychotherapeutic drugs, neurologic and pain disorders. Another group of investigators studies regulation of autonomic function by the central nervous system. Others use primarily molecular and cellular approaches to study intracellular signaling mechanisms of relevance for diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.