Biography
Dr. Kawa received a B.S. degree in Biology from the University of Maryland, College Park. After graduating, he worked as a postbac research tech at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in the labs of Drs. Donna Calu and Yavin Shaham. Dr. Kawa received a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor while working in Dr. Terry Robinson's lab in the Biopsychology Area. Following his PhD work, he worked in Dr. Marina Wolf's lab as a postdoc at Oregon Health & Sciences University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon.
Areas of Specialty
Motivated Behavior
Addiction
Drugs of abuse, dopamine, and the striatum
Achievements & Awards
NIH/NIDA K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award
NIH/NIDA F32 Individual Postdoctoral NRSA
Clyde H. Coombs Mathematical Psychology Scholarship, University of Michigan
Key Publications
Journal Article
Kawa, Alexander, Hashimoto, J, G Beutler, M, M Guizzetti, M, Wolf, M, E 2025 Changes in nucleus accumbens core translatome accompanying incubation of cocaine craving. Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, vol. 50, Issue 8, 1305-1316
Journal Article
Kawa, Alexander, Hwang, E, K Funke, J, R Zhou, H, Costa-Mattioli, M, Wolf, M, E 2022 Positive Allosteric Modulation of mGlu(1) Reverses Cocaine-Induced Behavioral and Synaptic Plasticity Through the Integrated Stress Response and Oligophrenin-1. Biological psychiatry, vol. 92, Issue 11, 871-879
Journal Article
Kawa, Alexander, Bentzley, B, S Robinson, T, E 2016 Less is more: prolonged intermittent access cocaine self-administration produces incentive-sensitization and addiction-like behavior. Psychopharmacology, vol. 233, Issue 19-20, 3587-602
Journal Article
Kawa, Alexander, Valenta, A, C Kennedy, R, T Robinson, T, E 2019 Incentive and dopamine sensitization produced by intermittent but not long access cocaine self-administration. The European journal of neuroscience, vol. 50, Issue 4, 2663-2682
Journal Article
Kawa, Alexander, Robinson, T, E 2019 Sex differences in incentive-sensitization produced by intermittent access cocaine self-administration. Psychopharmacology, vol. 236, Issue 2, 625-639
Gender
Male
Languages
- English