“Sex- and Age-Dependent Interactions of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) with ovarian hormones on Learning and Memory”. GSBS Guest Speaker Peter Winsauer, Ph.D. November 21, 2019

“Sex- and Age-Dependent Interactions of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) with ovarian hormones on Learning and Memory” GSBS Guest Speaker Peter Winsauer, Ph.D.

Seminar Location: CBH-230 beginning at 10:00 am on November 21, 2019.

Peter Winsauer is currently the L. Allen Barker Professor of Pharmacology at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Winsauer received his BS in Experimental Psychology from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and his Masters and Doctoral degrees in Experimental Psychology from the American University. After he obtained his doctoral degree, he worked as a Research Psychologist for the Armed Forces Radio-biology Research Institute (AFRRI) identifying radiation- and drug-induced disruptions in complex behavioral processes involving learning and memory. For the past 24 y, Dr. Winsauer’s research projects have focused on the behavioral pharmacology of all classes of abused drug in a variety of animal species. In collaboration with Louisiana State University’s Alcohol Research Center, he also began studies aimed at evaluating the neuropsychological deficits produced by alcohol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in a preclinical animal model of HIV infection.

Dr. Winsauer currently has National Institutes of Health funding to investigate the interaction between gonadal hormones and cannabinoid abuse, and the subsequent effects this interaction has on central nervous system (CNS) development as it relates to learning and memory. These studies seek to determine if drug abuse during adolescence, a significant period of maturation, can enhance an individual’s vulnerability to CNS dysfunction and produce persistent changes in the brain that could set the stage for a lifetime of mental health issues such as drug taking or abuse. The same CNS vulnerability likely exists for exposure to different types of radiation, particularly with repeated exposures.