Yossef Itzhak, Ph.D.

1975             B.S.   Pharmacy
                    Hebrew University, School of Pharmacy, Jerusalem, Israel
       
1977             M.S.   Medicinal Chemistry
                    Hebrew University, School of Pharmacy, Jerusalem, Israel

1982             Ph.D.  Psychopharmacology
                    Tel-Aviv University, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv, Israel

1982-1984     Postdoctoral Fellow
                    Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology
                    New York University, Medical Center, New York, NY
 

Drug addiction

Pre-clinical Studies on Drug Addiction: How drugs of abuse change the brain, and how can we combat addiction?

Drug addiction is a serious problem in the US and in many other countries around the world. During the last few years, scientists have recognized that drug addiction is a brain disease, and that it should be treated as such.

I have been investigating how “popular” drugs of abuse such as cocaine, Crystal-Meth and Ecstasy cause changes in different neurons in the brain, how these changes contribute to cognitive and behavioral abnormalities, and if specific genes are responsible for the enhanced sensitivity to drugs of abuse. I hope to reveal what makes the brain vulnerable to drug addiction and what medications can combat the development of addiction.

Selected Book Chapters

Itzhak Y, Julio L, Martin JL, Ali, SF. Nitric-oxide dependent processes in the action of psychostimulants. In: Herman HB, ed. Contemporary Clinical Neuroscience: Glutamate and Addiction. NJ: Humana Press; 2002:229-242.

Selected Journal Peer-reviewed Publications

Balda MA, Anderson KL, Itzhak Y. Development and persistence of long-lasting behavioral sensitization to cocaine in female mice: Role of the nNOS gene. Neuropharmacology.  2009;56(3):709-715.

Balda MA, Anderson KL, Itzhak Y. Differential role of the nNOS gene in the development of behavioral sensitization to cocaine in adolescent and adult B6;129S mice. Psychopharmacology. 2008;200:509-519.

Itzhak, Y. Role of the NMDA receptor and nitric oxide in memory reconsolidation of cocaine-induced conditioned place preference in mice. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.  2008;1139:350–357.

Itzhak Y, Anderson KL. Ethanol-induced behavioral sensitization in adolescent and adult mice: Role of the nNOS gene. Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research. 2008;32:1839-1848.

Achat-Mendes C, Anderson KL, Itzhak Y. Impairment in consolidation of learned place preference following dopaminergic neurotoxicity in mice is ameliorated by N-acetylcysteine but not D1 and D2 dopamine receptor agonists. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2007;32:531-541.

Itzhak Y, Anderson KL.  Memory reconsolidation of cocaine-associated context requires nitric oxide signaling. Synapse. 2007;61:1002-1005.

Kelley JB, Anderson KL, Itzhak Y. Long-term memory of cocaine-associated context: disruption and reinstatement. NeuroReport. 2007;18:777-780.

Balda MA, Anderson KL, Itzhak Y. Adolescent and adult responsiveness to the incentive value of cocaine reward in mice: role of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) gene. Neuropharmacology. 2006; 51:341-349.

Itzhak Y, Anderson KL. Methamphetamine-induced selective dopaminergic neurotoxicity is accompanied by an increase in striatal nitrate in the mouse.  Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.. 2006;1074:225-233.

Itzhak Y, Ali SF. Role of nitrergic system in behavioral and neurotoxic effects of amphetamine analogs. Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2006;109:246-262.

Achat-Mendes C, Ali SF, Itzhak Y.  Differential effects of amphetamines-induced neurotoxicity on appetitive and aversive Pavlovian conditioning. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2005;30:1128-1137.

Ali SF, Imam SZ, Itzhak Y. Role of peroxynitrite in methamphetamine-induced dopaminergic neurodegeneration and neuroprotection by antioxidants and selective NOS inhibitors.  Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.  2005;1053:97-98.

Itzhak Y, Achat-Mendes C. Methamphetamine and MDMA (Ecstasy) neurotoxicity: “of Mice and Men.” (Invited Review) International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) Life. 2004;56:249-255.

Itzhak Y, Achat-Mendes C, Ali SF, Anderson KL. Long-lasting behavioral sensitization to psychostimulants following p-chloroamphetamine-induced neurotoxicity in mice. Neuropharmacology. 2004;46:74-84.

Itzhak Y, Anderson KL, Ali SF. Differential response of nNOS knockout mice to MDMA (“Ecstasy”)- and methamphetamine-induced psychomotor sensitization and neurotoxicity. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.  2004;1025:119-128.

Anderson KL, Itzhak Y. Inhibition of neuronal nitric oxide synthase suppresses the maintenance but not the induction of psychomotor sensitization to MDMA ('Ecstasy') and p-chloroamphetamine in mice. Nitric Oxide. 2003;9:24-32.

Itzhak Y, Ali SF, Anderson KL. Fenfluramine-induced serotonergic neurotoxicity in mice: lack of neuroprotection by inhibition/ablation of nNOS. Journal of Neurochemistry. 2003;87:268-271.

Achat-Mendes C, Anderson KL, Itzhak Y. Methylphenidate and MDMA adolescent exposure in mice: long-lasting consequences on cocaine-induced reward and psychomotor stimulation in adulthood. Neuropharmacology. 2003;45:106-115.

Itzhak Y, Ali SF, Achat CN, Anderson KL. Relevance of MDMA (“Ecstasy”)-induced neurotoxicity to long-lasting psychomotor stimulation in mice. Psychopharmacology. 2003;166:241-248.

Itzhak Y, Ali SF.  Behavioral consequences of methamphetamine-induced neurotoxicity in mice: Relevance to the psychopathology of methamphetamine addiction. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2002;965:127-135.

Itzhak Y, Martin JL, Ali SF. Methamphetamine-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity in mice: long-lasting sensitization to the locomotor stimulation and desensitization to the rewarding effects of methamphetamine. Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry. 2002;26:1177-1183.

Itzhak Y, Martin JL. Cocaine-induced conditioned place preference in mice: induction, extinction and reinstatement by related psychostimulants. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2002;26:130-134.

Itzhak Y, Martin JL. Effect of the neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor 7-nitroindazole on methylphenidate-induced hyperlocomotion in mice. Behavioral Pharmacology. 2002;13:81-86.