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University of Vermont, 1992
2018 Accomplishments
Dr. Rush has been extremely productive during 2018 in the areas of research, teaching, service, and administration. Dr. Rush is served as the principal investigator on two (2) R01 projects as well as a R56 project from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Dr. Rush is a coinvestigator on at least six (6) other NIH-funded projects, which reflects his collaborative spirit. During 2017, Dr. Rush continued his role as director of a T32 awarded to the University of Kentucky entitled Research Training in Drug Abuse Behavior. Dr. Rush submitted at least two (2) R01 and UG3-UH3 grant applications to the National Institutes on Health (NIH) as principal investigator for consideration for funding. Two of these grants received a good score and are under consideration for funding. Another application was scored but required a revised submission. Dr. Rush is a co-investigator on five (5) applications submitted to NIH by other Behavioral Science faculty during 2018, three (3) of which received very favorable priority scores and are under consideration for funding. This activity attests to his commitment to the development of colleagues. Dr. Rush published two (2) manuscripts during 2018 and has three (3) in press or under review. The Laboratory of Human Behavioral Pharmacology at the University of Kentucky, under the direction of Dr. Rush, continues to be highly visible at national or international scientific meetings with at least eight (2) presentations during 2018. Dr. Rush gave two (2) invited addresses during 2018. Dr. Rush contributed to the teaching mission of the department during 2018. Dr. Rush served as a mentor to a graduate student (Amy L. Meadows, MD, Clinical and Translational Science Program), and two post-doctoral fellows (Joseph L. Alcorn III, PhD; Anna R. Reynolds, PhD). Dr. Rush served on the committee of at least three (3) other graduate students. Dr. Rush continued to serve on the University Appeals Committee and the University Sexual Misconduct Appeals Committee, both of which are Presidential appointments. Dr. Rush continued to serve as a Vice-Chair of a Medical Institutional Review Board (IRB). Dr. Rush continued in his role as an Associate Editor for Drug and Alcohol Dependence and handles approximately 100 manuscripts annually. Dr. Rush provided review services to several other scientific journals. Finally, Dr. Rush continued to serve as the Vice Chair for Research in Psychiatry during 2018.
Research Description
Dr. Rush’s research interests are primarily focused on identifying novel behavioral and pharmacological interventions for the management of stimulant dependence. Dr. Rush uses the principles of pharmacology and behavioral analysis to determine the effects of commonly abused stimulants (e.g., cocaine and methamphetamine) alone and following maintenance on single agents or novel combinations of medications. Each project uses sophisticated behavioral procedures (i.e., human drug self-administration) along with subject-rated drug-effect questionnaires to assess drug effects in in non-treatment seeking volunteers with recent histories of stimulant use. Dr. Rush’s laboratory is also studying cognitive mechanisms that may be involved in stimulant dependence including attention bias and inhibitory control. These projects could have implications for identifying novel treatment targets for managing stimulant dependence. A recently awarded project, for example, will demonstrate the feasibility, acceptability and initial efficacy of an innovative cocaine-based inhibitory-control training procedure. Collectively, these projects could have implications for the treatment of stimulant dependence.
Current Research Funding (Principal Investigator)
A Feasibility Trial for Inhibitory-Control Training to Reduce Cocaine Use (R34 DA038869). National Institute on Drug Abuse (03/15/15 - 01/31/18).
Topiramate-Phentermine Combinations as a Pharmacotherapy for Cocaine Dependence (R01 DA036827). National Institute on Drug Abuse (09/15/14 - 06/30/17).
GABA and Opioid Systems for a Pharmacotherapy for Methamphetamine Abuse (R01 DA033394). National Institute on Drug Abuse (09/15/13 – 08/31/16).
Research Training in Drug Abuse Behavior (5T32 DA035200). National Institute on Drug Abuse (07/01/13 – 06/30/18).
A Novel Anti-Obesity Drug Combination as a Pharmacotherapy for Cocaine Dependence (R01 DA032254). National Institute on Drug Abuse (09/15/12 – 06/30/15).
Buspirone as a Candidate Medication for Methamphetamine Abuse (R21 DA035481). National Institute on Drug Abuse (04/15/13 - 03/31/15).
Agonist Replacement Therapy for Methamphetamine Dependence: Human Lab Studies (R01 DA025032). National Institute on Drug Abuse (01/01/09 – 12/31/14).
Representative Publications
Stoops WW, Rush CR (2014). Combination pharmacotherapies for stimulant use disorder: A review of clinical findings and recommendations for future research. Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology, 7: 363-374.
Marks KR, Lile JA, Stoops WW, Rush CR (2014). Separate and combined impact of acute naltrexone and alprazolam on subjective and physiological effects of oral d-amphetamine in stimulant users. Psychopharmacology, 231: 2741-2750.
Strickland JC,Lile JA, Rush CR, Stoops WW (2014). Relationship between intranasal cocaine self-administration and subject-rated effects: Predictors of cocaine taking on progressive ratio schedules. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, 29: 342–350.
Marks KR, Stoops WW, Pike E, Roberts W, Fillmore MT, Rush CR (2014). Fixation time is a sensitive measure of cocaine cue attentional bias in cocaine using adults. Addiction, 109: 1501–1508.
Pike E, Stoops WW, Glaser PEA, Hays LR, Rush CR (2014). Methamphetamine self-administration in humans during d-amphetamine maintenance. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 34: 675-681.
Marks KR, Stoops WW, Pike E, Rush CR (2014). Test-retest reliability of eye tracking during the visual probe task in cocaine-using adults. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 145: 235–237.