Author

Benjamin C. Sichel

University of California San Diego

Listed by name: these papers carry no ORCID for this author, so different people with the same name may be mixed together.

Biology Disciplines

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Neuroscience· 4 Genetics· 1

Signature Assays, Organisms & Methods

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Organism:rat· 5 Approach:statistical model· 3 Approach:experimental assay· 2 Research Focus:cell type annotation· 1 Research Focus:clustering· 1 Research Focus:GWAS / association mapping· 1

Frequent Co-Authors

Dyar N. OthmaniD· 5 shared Lieselot L. G. CarretteiD· 5 shared Molly BrennaniD· 5 shared Olivier GeorgeiD· 5 shared Sélène Bonnet-ZahediiD· 5 shared Abraham A. PalmeriD· 4 shared Elizabeth A. SneddoniD· 4 shared Giordano de GuglielmoiD· 4 shared

Activity by Year

2022-2026 · peak 2/yr

Co-Author Collaboration Network

10 top collaborators · 45 mutual co-author links

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5 shared papersNeuroscience

Dyar N. OthmanORCID

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Author profile →

5 papers

Recent·Most cited

Genome-wide association study of cocaine self-administration behavior in Heterogeneous Stock rats

Montana Kay Lara, Lieselot L. G. Carrette, Thiago Missfeldt Sanches, Oksana Polesskaya, Alicia Avelar, Angela Beeson, Hassiba Beldjoud, Brent Boomhower, Molly Brennan, Denghui Chen, Riyan Cheng, Lindsey China, Apurva S. Chitre, Dana Conlisk, McKenzie J. Fannon, , Olivier George

This study performs a GWAS on cocaine self-administration in rats, identifying six genome-wide significant loci, including one linked to carboxylesterase genes involved in cocaine metabolism.

Nature Communications · Jun 11, 2026Peer-reviewedGenetics

Incentive Salience, not Psychomotor Sensitization or Tolerance, Drives Escalation of Cocaine Self-Administration in Heterogeneous Stock Rats

Jarryd Ramborger, Joseph Mosquera, Molly Brennan, Benjamin C. Sichel, Dyar N. Othman, Sonja Lorean Plasil, Elizabeth A. Sneddon, Sélène Bonnet-Zahedi, Alex Morgan, Supakorn Chonwattanagul, Kathleen Bai, Lindsey China, Tu La, Lisa Maturin, Lieselot L. G. Carrette, Olivier George

The paper identifies incentive salience as the driver of cocaine self-administration escalation in rats, showing individual differences in pre-lever activity predict long-term intake.

Neuropsychopharmacology · Jan 17, 2026Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

High Incidence of Estrous Cycle Irregularities in Heterogeneous Stock (HS) Rats is Associated with Severe Cocaine Addiction-like Behaviors

Elizabeth A. Sneddon, Supakorn Chonwattanagul, Kathleen Bai, Pranav H. Kurup, Sonja Lorean Plasil, Michelle R. Doyle, Sélène Bonnet-Zahedi, Sierra Simpson, Benjamin C. Sichel, Dyar N. Othman, Molly Brennan, Abraham A. Palmer, Marsida Kallupi, Lieselot L. G. Carrette, Giordano de Guglielmo, Olivier George

This study finds that irregular estrous cycles in HS rats are associated with severe cocaine addiction-like behaviors, but estrous phase itself does not influence cocaine self-administration.

bioRxiv · Mar 6, 2025 · PreprintNeuroscience

Large-scale characterization of cocaine addiction-like behaviors reveals that escalation of intake, aversion-resistant responding, and breaking-points are highly correlated measures of the same construct.

Giordano de Guglielmo, Lieselot L. G. Carrette, Marsida Kallupi, Molly Brennan, Brent Boomhower, Lisa Maturin, Dana Conlisk, Sharona Sedighim, Lani Tieu, McKenzie J. Fannon, Angelica R. Martinez, Nathan Velarde, Dyar N. Othman, Benjamin C. Sichel, Jarryd Ramborger, , Olivier George

The paper shows that escalation of cocaine intake, progressive ratio responding, and continued use despite adverse consequences are highly correlated in rats, with sex differences in addiction-like behaviors.

eLife · Nov 1, 2024Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

Individual differences in oxycodone addiction-like behaviors in a large cohort of heterogeneous stock (HS) rats

Marsida Kallupi, Giordano de Guglielmo, Lieselot L. G. Carrette, Sierra Simpson, Jenni Kononoff, Adam Kimbrough, Lauren C. Smith, Kokila Shankar, Alicia Avelar, Dana Conlisk, Molly Brennan, Lani Tieu, Sharona Sedighim, Brent Boomhower, Lisa Maturin, , Olivier George

The paper identifies individual differences in oxycodone addiction-like behaviors in HS rats to uncover genetic factors contributing to vulnerability and resilience.

bioRxiv · Jul 26, 2022 · PreprintNeuroscience