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M. Foster Olive

foster.olive@asu.edu
480-727-9557

Professor and Area Head, Behavioral Neuroscience
Faculty
TEMPE Campus
Mailcode
1104

Biography

M. Foster Olive heads the Addiction Neuroscience Laboratory at Arizona State University. His group is interested in examining how abused drugs affect the brain on a neurobiological level.

He received his undergraduate degree in psychology from University of California at San Diego, and his doctoral degree in neuroscience from University of California at Los Angeles. His postdoctoral research was performed at Stanford University and the University of California at San Francisco. His research has been published in journals such as Psychopharmacology, Biological Psychiatry, Journal of Neuroscience, and Nature Neuroscience, and he currently serves on the editorial boards for Neuropsychopharmacology, Addiction Biology, Neuropharmacology, and Frontiers in Pharmacology. Professor Olive’s research is supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. 

Education

  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Senior Scientist, University of California-San Francisco, 1998-2003
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Stanford University, 1997-1998
  • Ph.D. Neuroscience, University of California-Los Angeles 1997
  • B.A. Psychology, University of California-San Diego 1991

 

Videos

Foster Olive, Professor in the ASU Department of Psychology

Research Interests

His group is interested in examining how abused drugs affect the brain on a neurobiological level. Specifically, what long-lasting changes do abused drugs produce in the brain that ultimately result in dependence and addiction? Can these changes be minimized or reversed? What makes some individuals vulnerable to addiction while others are resilient? Under what circumstances, and in what brain regions, do drugs produce toxic effects on neurons and other cell types? Given the poor outcomes of existing treatments for addictive disorders, our ultimate goal is to identify novel biological targets for innovative therapies that can be integrated into other treatment approaches to facilitate healing of the addicted brain.

Current research projects in the laboratory utilize model organisms to examine: 

  • The neural circuits and neurochemical mechanisms underlying the ability of alcohol to active brain endorphin systems
  • The abuse liability and neurotoxicity of emerging drugs of abuse such as synthetic cathinones (bath salts) 
  • Interactions between social and neurobiological factors that underlie addiction to heroin and other opiates
  • The ability of abused drugs to induce lasting morphological (structural) changes in neurons
  • Mechanisms of alcohol dependence and co-abuse with psychostimulants 
  • Optogenetic and chemogenetic control of neural circuits that underlie addictive behaviors

Research Group

Addiction Neuroscience Laboratory

https://psychology.clas.asu.edu/research/labs/addiction-neuroscience-laboratory-olive

Publications

  • Lewis CR, Olive MF. Early life stress interactions with the epigenome: potential mechanisms driving vulnerability towards psychiatric illness. Behavioural Pharmacology 25:341-351, 2014.
  • Watterson LR, Kufahl PR, Nemirovsky NE, Sewalia K, Grabenauer M, Thomas BF, Marusich JA, Wegner S, Olive MF. Potent rewarding and reinforcing effects of the synthetic cathinone 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone. Addiction Biology 19:165-175, 2014.
  • Olive MF (ed). Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors: Molecular Mechanisms, Role in Neurological Disorders, and Pharmacological Effects. Nova Science Publishers: Hauppauge NY, 2014.
  • LaCrosse AL, Taylor SB, Nemirovsky NE, Gass JT, Olive MF. mGluR5 positive and negative allosteric modulators differentially affect dendritic spine density and morphology in the prefrontal cortex. CNS & Neurological Disorders – Drug Targets 14:476-485, 2015.
  • Burrows BT, Watterson LR, Johnson MA, Olive MF. Effects of modafinil and R-modafinil on brain stimulation reward thresholds: implications for their use in the treatment of psychostimulant dependence. Journal of Drug and Alcohol Research 4, Article ID 235958, 2015.
  • Taylor SB, Conrad CD, Olive MF. Stress and spatial maze performance in the rat. In: The Maze Book: Theories, Practice, and Protocols for Testing Rodent Cognition (Bimonte-Nelson HA, ed), Springer Protocols/Humana Press, pp. 211-258, 2015.
  • Taylor SB, Watterson LR, Kufahl PR, Nemirovsky NE, Tomek SE, Conrad CD, Olive MF. Chronic variable stress and intravenous methamphetamine self-administration – role of individual differences in behavioral and physiological reactivity to novelty. Neuropharmacology 108:353-363, 2016.
  • Olive MF. Glutamate receptors and drug addiction. In: The Neuropathology of Drug Addictions and Substance Misuse – Volume 3 (Preedy VR, ed), Elsevier Publishers, New York, 2016, pp. 102-110.

Research Activity

  • Olive,Michael Foster*. Mechanisms of regualtion of ethanol intakeby lateral habenula. RUTGERS UNIV(4/1/2014 - 3/31/2015).
  • Olive,Michael Foster*. Optogenetic Targeting of mGluR5 Receptor Signaling in Addiction. HHS-NIH-NIDA(3/1/2014 - 2/29/2016).
  • Olive,Michael Foster*. Chromatin Alterations Produced by Drugs of Abuse and Binge Eating. ASU-Mayo Seed Grant(1/1/2014 - 12/31/2014).
  • Olive,Michael Foster*. Novel Treatments for HIV Encephalitis in Mice. VAMC(4/30/2011 - 9/30/2011).
  • Olive,Michael Foster*. To examine the effects of novel ALDH2 inhibitors on cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior. Gilead(2/10/2011 - 11/15/2011).
  • Olive,Michael Foster*. Control of Ethahnol Intake by an mGluR5-PKCe Pathway. HHS-NIH-NIAAA(11/1/2010 - 4/30/2015).
  • Olive,Michael Foster*. mGluR5 antagonists for methamphetamine addiction. HHS-NIH-NIDA(7/1/2010 - 6/30/2014).
  • Olive,Michael Foster*. Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Signaling and Extinction Learning. HHS-NIH-NIDA(7/1/2010 - 12/31/2013).

Courses

Fall 2020
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 307Your Brain on Drugs
PSY 399Supervised Research
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
PSY 591Seminar
Spring 2020
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 399Supervised Research
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
PSY 799Dissertation
Fall 2019
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 307Your Brain on Drugs
PSY 399Supervised Research
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
PSY 799Dissertation
Spring 2019
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 399Supervised Research
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
Fall 2018
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 307Your Brain on Drugs
PSY 399Supervised Research
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
Summer 2018
Course NumberCourse Title
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
Spring 2018
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 399Supervised Research
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
PSY 591Seminar
Fall 2017
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 399Supervised Research
PSY 470Psychopharmacology
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
PSY 570Psychopharmacology
Summer 2017
Course NumberCourse Title
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
Spring 2017
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 399Supervised Research
PSY 426Neuroanatomy
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
PSY 526Neuroanatomy
Fall 2016
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 399Supervised Research
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
Summer 2016
Course NumberCourse Title
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
Spring 2016
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 394Special Topics
PSY 399Supervised Research
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
PSY 499Individualized Instruction

Presentations

2014

Invited Speaker, Synthetic cathinones (bath salts): recent studies on assessment of their abuse liability and toxicity, California State University at Long Beach and California State University at San Bernardino, CA

Invited Speaker, NK1 antagonists for stimulant use disorders, Emerging Targets for Stimulant Use Disorders Meeting, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda, MD

Invited Speaker, Development of a viral construct expressing a light-activated mGluR5 receptor (OptoXR-mGluR5) for optogenetic applications, 8th International Meeting on Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors, Taormina, Sicily, Italy

Invited Panelist, Town Hall Debate, Lessons from Colorado: Legalizing marijuana is good for Arizona communities, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arizona State University West Campus

2015

Invited Panelist, Early life stress effects on methamphetamine self-administration: a potential role for MeCP2, Winter Conference on Brain Research, Big Sky, MT

Invited Speaker, Progress towards development of a viral construct expressing a light-activated mGluR5 receptor (OptoXR-mGluR5) for optogenetic applications, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA

Invited Speaker, Effects of mGluR5 receptor potentiation in rodent models of addiction: pharmacological studies and new optogenetic tools, Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

Invited Panelist, Glutamatergic medications for substance use disorders  are we there yet? Annual Meeting of the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

2016

Invited Panelist, Repeated binge-like intake of the synthetic cathinone MDPV and its cognitive and neurological sequelae, Winter Conference on Brain Research, Breckenridge, CO

Invited Speaker, Potential neurotoxic and neuroinflammatory effects of long-term intake of the synthetic cathinone MDPV, Department of Pharmacology, Center for Substance Abuse Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 

Honors/Awards

2006   Elected to American College of Neuropsychopharmacology as Associate Member

2007  Nominee, Pew Scholars Program in Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina

2011  Elected to American College of Neuropsychopharmacology as Regular Member

2012  Nominee, Zebulon Pearce Distinguished Teaching Award, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Arizona State University

2015  Elected to Leadership Academy, Neuroscience Team, Office of Knowledge and Enterprise Development, Arizona State University

Editorships

Editorial Board Memberships

CNS & Neurological Disorders  Drug Targets

Addiction Biology

Neuropsychopharmacology

Behavioural Pharmacology

Journal of Drug and Alcohol Research

Recent Patents on CNS Drug Discovery

Frontiers in Pharmacology

Neuropharmacology

 

Guest Editor
Neuronal and glial structural plasticity induced by drugs of abuse, Special Research Topic of Frontiers in Pharmacology

Professional Associations

Society for Neuroscience, International Society for Neurochemistry, Research Society on Alcoholism, International Drug Abuse Research Society, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, College on Problems of Drug Dependence, Society for the Study of Addiction

Service

Student Affairs and Grievances Committee, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Arizona State University

Leadership Academy, Neuroscience Team, Arizona State University

University Laboratory Safety Committee, Arizona State University

Board of Scientific Counselors, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse

Neuroscience Review Subcommittee AA-4, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Special Award Judge, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), Society for Science & the Public

Membership Committee, College on Problems of Drug Dependence and American College of Neuropsychopharmacology

Education and Training Committee, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology

Ad hoc reviewer for Israel Science Foundation, Foundation for Polish Science, Czech Science Foundation, National Science Foundation, Neurological Foundation of New Zealand, United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command Broad Agency Announcement for Extramural Medical Research

 

Graduate Faculties / Mentoring History

Doctoral Dissertation Committees (chair or co-chair): Amber LaCrosse (Department of Psychology, 2010-2014), Lucas Watterson (Department of Psychology, 2011-2014), Candace Lewis (Department of Psychology, 2011-2015), Elizabeth Watterson (Department of Psychology, 2011-2015), Devin Taylor (Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, 2011-2015), Seven Tomek (Department of Psychology, 2016-present)

Work History

2003-2005 Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, University of California at San Francisco; 2005-2010 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina; 2010-2012 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Arizona State University; 2012-present, Associate Professor with Tenure, Department of Psychology, Arizona State University

Expertise Areas