Translational Addiction Podcast Explores 'Glia, Substance Use and the Adolescent Brain'

In the second episode of the Lotfipour Lab's podcast series, The Translational Addiction Podcast, hosts Michaela Sumortin and Tanvi Garneni unpack how glial cells — astrocytes and microglia — shape the brain’s response to drugs of abuse.

Drawing on a 2025 Handbook of Clinical Neurology review by Drs. Emily Castro, Shahrdad Lotfipour and Frances Leslie, the episode explores how opioids and nicotine alter neuroimmune signaling, why adolescents respond differently than adults, and how targeting glia may transform treatment strategies for substance use disorders. The episode also highlights how the gut microbiome intersects with brain inflammation, offering a novel therapeutic angle for addiction research.

Listen now on lotfipourlab.org