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Research Interests:

Biobehavioral Mechanisms of Stress and Nicotine Addiction
This program focuses on identifying the biological processes that are responsible for the effects of stress and other psychological factors on nicotine addiction and smoking relapse. The program involves multiple laboratory studies that include the assessment of cardiovascular and neuroendocrine functions during rest and in response to a battery of acute behavioral challenges. In addition, we also conduct naturalistic studies that involve the assessment of cortisol, blood pressure, and mood measures during everyday life in smokers and nonsmokers.

Psychobiology of Stress and Cardiovascular Risk
The goal of this program is to develop a knowledge base to help us understand how stress and other psychological factors contribute to the risk for hypertension development. My collaborators and I were among the first group of scientists to demonstrate that hypertension risk was associated with exaggerated adrenocortical responses to stress. Our findings have been cited and replicated in several laboratories around the world. In addition, we recently discovered that pain sensitivity is attenuated in the offspring of hypertensives. This was a significant finding in light of the observation that persons with hypertension are less sensitive to pain, and therefore might not readily recognize signs of a heart attack.

The ongoing research involves longitudinal and multiple cross-sectional experiments to address the hypothesis that hypertension and pain perception share common pathophysiological mechanisms. The research integrates pharmacological, physiological, and behavioral approaches to determine the nature of the stress response in participants at high risk for hypertension. This program employs pharmacological probes to identify potential central nervous system mechanisms of the exaggerated stress response in hypertension-prone individuals. In addition, we are also evaluating pain sensitivity and the stress response as predictors of longitudinal changes in blood pressure.

Selected Publications:

al'Absi, M. , France, C.R., France, J., Harju , Wittmers, L.E. (2006). Adrenocortical and nociceptive responses to opioid blockade in hypertension-prone men and women . Psychosomatic Medicine, 68, 292-298.

al'Absi, M. (2006). Altered psychoendocrine responses to psychological stress and smoking relapse. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 59, 218-227

al'Absi, M. , Hatsukami, D., & Davis, G. (2005). Attenuated adrenocorticotropic responses to stress predict early relapse. Psychopharmacology, 181, 107-117.

al'Absi, M , France, C.R., France, J., Harju, A., Ring, C., McIntyre, D., Wittmers , L.E. (2005) Effects of baroreflex stimulation on pain perception and nociceptive flexion reflex in men and women. Psychophysiology, 42, 83-91.