Olivia Vanegas, MS | Kinsey Lab

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

Vanegas, S.O., Zaki, A., Dealy, C., Kinsey, S.G. 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.