Routes to Research for Novice Undergraduate Neuroscientists

Undergraduate students may be attracted to science and retained in science by engaging in laboratory research. Experience as an apprentice in a scientist's laboratory can be effective in this regard, but the pool of willing scientists is sometimes limited and sustained contact between students and faculty is sometimes minimal. We report outcomes from two different models of a summer neuroscience research program: an Apprenticeship Model (AM) in which individual students joined established research laboratories, and a Collaborative Learning Model (CLM) in which teams of students worked through a guided curriculum and then conducted independent experimentation. Assessed outcomes included attitudes toward science, attitudes toward neuroscience, confidence with neuroscience concepts, and confidence with science skills, measured via pre-, mid-, and postprogram surveys. Both models elevated attitudes toward neuroscience, confidence with neuroscience concepts, and confidence with science skills, but neither model altered attitudes toward science. Consistent with the CLM design emphasizing independent experimentation, only CLM participants reported elevated ability to design experiments. The present data comprise the first of five yearly analyses on this cohort of participants; long-term follow-up will determine whether the two program models are equally effective routes to research or other science-related careers for novice undergraduate neuroscientists

Pharmacogenetics of Methadone Response

The efficacy of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in opioid use disorder is well established but responses vary. The influence of methadone pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics on dose requirements and program outcomes remains controversial despite the increasing number of studies evaluating genetic influences on response to methadone treatment. Furthermore, patients require different doses (usually between 60 and 100 mg/day), and there are no clear data on a plasma concentration associated with treatment success. We review the evidence regarding the influence of genetics on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic factors in terms of MMT outcome. We also analyse the influence of genetics on the occurrence of severe adverse events such as respiratory depression and ventricular arrhythmia in methadone treatment. The outcomes of MMT may be influenced by a combination of environmental, drug-induced, and genetic factors. The influence of pharmacokinetic genetic variability can be clinically managed by modifying the posology. A better understanding of pharmacodynamic factors could help in selecting the best opioid for substitution treatment, but patient phenotype must still be considered when establishing a maintenance treatment. Pharmacogenetic studies represent a promising field that aims to individualize treatments according to genetic backgrounds, adapting medication and doses according to possible outcomes and the risk of adverse events