Cynthia Kuhn

Cynthia Kuhn is a Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at Duke University School of Medicine. She leads a multidisciplinary research program examining addiction biology and stress/depression mechanisms using animal and model systems.

Her laboratory investigates how adolescence and hormonal changes influence vulnerability to addiction and stress-related conditions. Current projects examine: sex differences in drug response; maturing dopamine systems in adolescent drug susceptibility; and adolescent threat insensitivity mechanisms. Her research explores molecular targets of estrogen action, including dopamine regulators and stress peptides.

Recent publications focus on neuroendocrine biomarkers of substance use risk, sex-specific stress susceptibility, placental-brain development pathways, and novel pharmacological interventions for opioid dependence.