Assistant Director, Center for Advancement in Managing Pain
Graduate Research Associate, School of Nursing
PhD Candidate, Department of Psychological Sciences
University of Connecticut
231 Glenbrook Rd U-4026
Storrs, CT 06269
olivia.vanegas@uconn.edu
Education
MS - Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Connecticut
BA - Psychology, University of Kentucky
Curriculum Vitae
Olivia is a Ph.D. candidate in her fifth year of the Behavioral Neuroscience PhD program. Her diverse laboratory experience ranges from human health psychology to imaging to preclinical rodent work, with a unifying theme of behavioral neuroscience and neuropharmacology. She successfully defended her thesis in March of 2022, which assessed the behavioral effects and abuse liability of Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol. Her dissertation project investigates lesser-studied minor cannabinoids and terpenes produced by the cannabis plant as potential analgesics in mouse models of chronic neuropathic pain and inflammation.
When not in the lab, Olivia enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, skiing, and spending time with friends.
Publications
Rodriguez, C. E. B., Vanegas, S. O., Reck, A. M., Schrom, Y., Kinsey, S. G. (2024). “MAGL and COX inhibition additively attenuate post-surgical pain in mice.” Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. In press.
Vanegas, S.O., Zaki, A., Dealy, C., Kinsey, S.G. (2024). The minor phytocannabinoid delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol attenuates collagen-induced arthritic inflammation and pain-depressed behaviors in mice. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. In press.
Vanegas, S.O., Reck, A.M., Rodriguez, C.E., Marusich, J.A., Yassin, O., Sotzing, G., Wiley, J.L., Kinsey, S.G. (2022). Hemp-derived Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol produces physical dependence in mice. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 240:109640. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109640.
Vanegas, S.O., Trexler, K.R., Eckard, M.L, Steele, F.F., & Kinsey, S.G. (2022). Neuroendocrinology of stress and addiction. In Randy J. Nelson (Ed.), Oxford Encyclopedia of Neuroendocrine and Autonomic Systems. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190264086.013.ORE_NEU-00252.R1
Trexler, K.R., Vanegas, S.O., Poklis, J.L., & Kinsey, S.G. (2020). The synthetic cannabinoid AB-FUBINACA induces physical withdrawal in mice. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Sep 1;214:108179. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108179.