DR. ORIO´S LAB
Image: Laura Orío Ortiz
Dr. Orio´s lab currently focuses on the neuroinflammation induced by several drugs of abuse (ethanol, cocaine or methamphetamine) and on testing new pharmacological approaches to target addiction-related behaviors and other associated disorders such as the Wernicke´s Encephalopathy.
An active area or interest is the study of the microbiome-gut-brain axis and the influence of psychobiotics, endogenours biolipds (i.e. oleoylethanolamide) and apolipoproteins in the regulation of neuroinflammation and cognitive decline in alcohol abuse, Alcohol Use Disorder and related pathologies.
LECTURE: Microbiome-gut-brain axis in alcohol abuse
And also Behavioral Addictions. News: Clinical Guide for Behavioral Addictions based on the evidence.
Professional information
Dr. Laura Orio received her PhD in Pharmacology from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM, Spain) in 2005, being her Doctoral Thesis awarded. She was honored with the Fulbright international exchange programme joining the Dr. George Koob´s lab at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA (U.S.A) (2006-2008). She was funded during all her career, receiving several awards and distinctions.
She is the Director of the research group "Psychoneuroimmunology of Substance Use Disorders" (Psiconeuroinmunología de los trastornos por consumo de sustancias) at Complutense University of Madrid. Her main research line about Neuropsychopharmacology of addictive behavior has received continued funding given that she has been Principal Investigator of competitive grants (Ministry of Science & Innovation and Ministry of Health & Social Policies) since 2010.
She is the Principal Investigator of the "Applied Behavioral Neuropharmacology" (Neurofarmacología comportamental aplicada) research group at the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (imás12) del Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid (área Neurociencias y Salud Mental).
Dr. Orio currently works as Associate Professor (Prof. Titular) at the Complutense University of Madrid, in the Department of Psychobiology & Behavioral Sciences Methods , Faculty of Psychology.
She is the Former Director of postgraduate Master studies in Psychopharmacology and drugs of abuse (Máster en Psicofarmacología y drogas de abuso, UCM) and active member of the Spanish National Network in Addiction (Riapad, Red de Investigación en atención primaria de adicciones, ISCIII).