Leslie Lundahl
Biography
Dr. Lundahl’s overall research objective is to advance our understanding of addictive behaviors, with the goal
of developing new treatment approaches and improving existing options for individuals who seek
help for their substance use disorders. To this end, she has focused her scientific endeavors in several
key areas: (1) identifying factors (e.g., personality, environmental, pharmacological) that are
potential determinants of drug seeking behavior; (2) developing and refining human laboratory
models (e.g., cue-induced and stress-induced craving/use, drug discrimination, subjective effects,
choice procedures) to efficiently and rigorously test mechanisms of action that underlie drug-taking
behavior and contribute to relapse, as well as test candidate medications for pharmacotherapy, (3)
understanding factors that might predict treatment retention and treatment outcomes, and, (4) using
this knowledge to improve existing treatment options and guide development of new, better-targeted
treatment approaches for substance use disorders. Although most of her work involves
cannabinoids, she has also conducted studies on alcohol, nicotine, MDMA, cocaine, and opioids.
Department
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Wayne State University School Of Medicine