Christopher M. Olsen, PhD

Associate Professor

Locations

Pharmacology and Toxicology

Contact Information

General Interests

Neuroscience, Addictive Behavior and Novelty Seeking

Education

PhD, Toxicology and Neuroscience, University of Texas, 2004
MS, Texas Tech University, 1998
BA, Baylor University, 1994

Research Experience

Brain Concussion
Brain Injuries
Brain Injury, Chronic
Cocaine-Related Disorders
Exploratory Behavior
Motivation
Opioid-Related Disorders
Substance-Related Disorders

MCW Program / Core Facilities

Neuroscience Research Center

Research Interests

Olsen Lab

Addiction is a chronically relapsing disorder that is strongly modulated by positive and negative environmental factors. Our lab (olsenlab.org) focuses on how these environmental factors can influence drug intake and drug seeking using rat and mouse models of addiction.

We have two major projects to investigate environmental factors and addiction:

Environmental modulation of drug seeking ensembles. Transgenic approaches are used to identify and manipulate cells that are engaged during drug seeking following intravenous drug self-administration. We are studying the effects of positive and negative environmental factors on drug seeking and the activity of cells within drug seeking ensembles.

The impact of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) on addiction and mesocorticolimbic function. This work is done in collaboration with Drs. Brain Stemper and Matthew Budde in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Neurosurgery, respectively. We are examining the effects of mTBI on drug self-administration, drug seeking, and mesocorticolimbic function using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional connectivity.

View the full publication list.

Olsen Lab Image 1

Identification of neuronal ensembles involved in persistent drug seeking. TetTag (green) cells are those engaged during an initial drug seeking session, Fos+ (red) cells are those engaged during a second drug seeking session 2 weeks later.

Olsen Lab Image 2

Quantification of monocytes/microglia. Iba1+ (green) cells are surface rendered for complex analysis to examine long-lasting effect of mild traumatic brain injury on immune cells within the brain. Gray=nuclei (DAPI).

Dissociable dorsal medial prefrontal cortex ensembles are necessary for cocaine seeking and fear conditioning in mice.

(Liu S, Nawarawong N, Liu X, Liu QS, Olsen CM.) Transl Psychiatry. 2024 Sep 23;14(1):387 PMID: 39313502 PMCID: PMC11420216 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85204921376 09/24/2024
Neuropathic pain has sex-specific effects on oxycodone-seeking and non-drug-seeking ensemble neurons in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex of mice.

(Sarka BC, Liu S, Banerjee A, Stucky CL, Liu QS, Olsen CM.) Addict Biol. 2024 Aug;29(8):e13430 PMID: 39121884 PMCID: PMC11315577 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85200756850 08/10/2024
Environmental Enrichment during Abstinence Reduces Oxycodone Seeking and c-Fos Expression in a Subpopulation of Medial Prefrontal Cortex Neurons.

(Glaeser B, Panariello V, Banerjee A, Olsen CM.) Drug Alcohol Depend. 2024 Feb 01;255:111077 PMID: 38228055 PMCID: PMC10869844 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85182578672 01/16/2024
The effects of sleep restriction during abstinence on oxycodone seeking: Sex-dependent moderating effects of behavioral and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis-related phenotypes.

(Olsen CM, Glaeser BL, Szabo A, Raff H, Everson CA.) Physiol Behav. 2023 Dec 01;272:114372 PMID: 37805135 PMCID: PMC10841994 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85173957688 10/08/2023
Chronicity of repeated blast traumatic brain injury associated increase in oxycodone seeking in rats.

(Chiariello R, McCarthy C, Glaeser BL, Shah AS, Budde MD, Stemper BD, Olsen CM.) Behav Brain Res. 2023 Feb 13;438:114181 PMID: 36330906 PMCID: PMC9993345 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85140915448 11/05/2022
Sleep restriction during opioid abstinence affects the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in male and female rats.

(Raff H, Glaeser BL, Szabo A, Olsen CM, Everson CA.) Stress. 2023 Jan;26(1):2185864 PMID: 36856367 PMCID: PMC10339708 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85150079770 03/02/2023
Comparison of prefrontal cortex sucrose seeking ensembles engaged in multiple seeking sessions: Context is key.

(Jessen K, Slaker Bennett ML, Liu S, Olsen CM.) J Neurosci Res. 2022 Apr;100(4):1008-1029 PMID: 35137974 PMCID: PMC8940716 02/10/2022
Repeated blast mild traumatic brain injury and oxycodone self-administration produce interactive effects on neuroimaging outcomes.

(Muelbl MJ, Glaeser BL, Shah AS, Chiariello RA, Nawarawong NN, Stemper BD, Budde MD, Olsen CM.) Addict Biol. 2022 Mar;27(2):e13134 PMID: 35229952 PMCID: PMC8896287 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85125380733 03/02/2022
Editorial: Behavioral outcomes of traumatic brain injury.

(Olsen CM, Herrold AA, Conti AC, Vonder Haar C.) Front Behav Neurosci. 2022;16:1010395 PMID: 36160681 PMCID: PMC9490366 09/27/2022
A Preclinical Rodent Model for Repetitive Subconcussive Head Impact Exposure in Contact Sport Athletes.

(Stemper BD, Shah A, Chiariello R, McCarthy C, Jessen K, Sarka B, Seifert J, Budde MD, Wang K, Olsen CM, McCrea M.) Front Behav Neurosci. 2022;16:805124 PMID: 35368301 PMCID: PMC8965565 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85127445249 04/05/2022
Effects of 5-Ion Beam Irradiation and Hindlimb Unloading on Metabolic Pathways in Plasma and Brain of Behaviorally Tested WAG/Rij Rats.

(Raber J, Holden S, Sudhakar R, Hall R, Glaeser B, Lenarczyk M, Rockwell K, Nawarawong N, Sterrett J, Perez R, Leonard SW, Morré J, Choi J, Kronenberg A, Borg A, Kwok A, Stevens JF, Olsen CM, Willey JS, Bobe G, Baker J.) Front Physiol. 2021;12:746509 PMID: 34646164 PMCID: PMC8503608 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85116920048 10/15/2021