Peter W Kalivas

Peter W. Kalivas is a Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). His academic role focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms underlying addiction and reward processing, with particular emphasis on synaptic plasticity and neuropharmacology. He holds a PhD in Neuroscience and has been a leading figure in translational research bridging basic science and clinical applications in substance use disorders.

His research interests span addiction neurobiology, neurophysiology, and the development of novel therapeutic targets for psychiatric and substance use disorders. Key areas include studying synaptic adaptations in the nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum, the role of astrocytes and extracellular matrix in drug relapse, and the impact of stress and cannabinoids on reward circuits.

Dr. Kalivas has published extensively on topics such as GABAergic/glutamatergic interactions, matrix metalloproteinases, and the efficacy of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in treating addiction and PTSD. His work integrates animal models (e.g., rodents) with preclinical trials to explore mechanisms of vulnerability/resilience in opioid and heroin use disorders.

• Key affiliations: College of Medicine, Neuroscience Department at MUSC
• Research Themes: Synaptic plasticity, addiction neurobiology, drug relapse mechanisms
• Notable Projects: Multi-center studies on NAC in PTSD, genome-wide association studies in rats

His contributions highlight the role of non-neuronal elements (astrocytes, extracellular matrices) in addiction, challenging traditional neuron-centric views. Collaborations span neuropharmacology, computational modeling (e.g., video denoising for microscopy), and translational medicine.