Anthony Riley

Dr. Anthony Riley is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at American University, where he has been a faculty member since 1976. He maintains active external appointments with the Veterans Administration (Washington) since 1982, the National Institute on Drug Abuse since 1985, and Johns Hopkins University since 2002.

His educational background includes:

• Undergraduate training at the University of North Carolina
• PhD in Psychology from the University of Washington
• Post-doctoral fellowship in pharmacology at Dalhousie University, Canada

Dr. Riley's research focuses on psychopharmacology and behavioral neuroscience, with expertise in animal models of drug abuse, opioid receptor mechanisms, behavioral toxicology, and prenatal cocaine exposure effects. His work integrates immunology and chronic drug administration studies to understand neurobehavioral consequences of substance abuse, particularly through conditioned taste aversion paradigms.

He has received significant recognition including the University Award for Outstanding Teaching (1981), Scholar/Teacher of the Year (2000), D.C. Professor of the Year (2000), and the Presidential Research Fellow award (2007).

• University Award for Outstanding Teaching (1981)
• Scholar/Teacher of the Year (2000)
• D.C. Professor of the Year (2000)
• Presidential Research Fellow (2007)

Dr. Riley has secured substantial research funding from federal agencies, directing studies on cocaine-induced taste aversions using transgenic mice, kappa opioid mediation in cocaine withdrawal, and strain differences in cocaine escalation. He serves on the editorial board of Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior and holds leadership roles in the Society for the Stimulus Properties of Drugs.

• Mediation of cocaine-induced taste aversions: Transgenic analysis with homozygous and heterozygous knock-out mice (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
• Effects of norBNI on cocaine withdrawal and alcohol intake: Assessments of kappa opioid mediation (NIDA and NIAAA)
• Cocaine escalation under chronic access conditions: A comparison of F344 and LEW rat strains (Walter Reed Army Institute of Research)

He directs the Psychopharmacology Laboratory at American University, which maintains the comprehensive Conditioned Taste Aversion: An Annotated Bibliography resource and investigates neurobehavioral effects of drugs through innovative animal models.