Newcastle University

Research Interests

Neurobiological determinants of nicotine dependence with particular emphasis on developing more appropriate models to examine the clinical efficacy of smoking cessation agents.
The beneficial effects of nicotine and related analogues on various cognitive measures such as attention and working memory with its potential use for treating impairments associated with neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and dementia.

Other Expertise

Exploiting new technologies such as small animal functional magnetic resonance imaging to capture neuronal activity associated with adaptive processes such as the clinical efficacy of antidepressants, citalopram and bupropion.

Current Work

Current work is focussed on establishing an ethical model to assess pain relief using rodent intravenous self-administration methods.

In collaboration with Dr Fiona LeBeau to examine neuronal adaptations following chronic exposure to cocaine in rats.

Future Research

To examine the psychological aspects of goal-directed and habitual control of nicotine-seeking behaviour (in collaboration with Dr Lee Hogarth, Nottingham University.

Postgraduate Supervision

Currently supervise 3 postgraduate students. Always looking for new students who have an interest in utilizing invivo behavioural models to address important questions in psychiatry.

Esteem Indicators

An active executive member of the British Association of Psychopharmacology (BAP) serving as the Preclinical external affairs secretary.

Funding

Received generous funds from the BBSRC and also small contributions from pharmaceutical industry.

Industrial Relevance

Have successfully provided contract research services to pharmaceutical industries with a focus on examination on abuse liability of psychoactive substances.

Undergraduate Teaching

Biomedical Sciences with Honours
Pharmacology with Honours

Postgraduate Teaching

Masters In Neuroscience
Supervise PhD students in Behavioural Neuroscience

• O'Donovan B, Shoaib M, LeBeau FEN. Acute cocaine and amphetamine modulate fast network oscillations in the prefrontal cortex in vitro. Cerebral Cortex 2012. In Preparation.
• Wing VC, Shoaib M. Translating the smoking cessation properties of the antidepressant nortriptyline using reinforcing, discriminative and aversive stimulus effects of nicotine in rats. Psychopharmacology 2012, 219(3), 847-857.
• Norman N, Hogarth L, Panlilio L, Shoaib M. Establishing Concurrent Choice Procedures with Intravenous Nicotine and Sucrose in Rats. Behavioural Pharmacology 2011, 22(S1), E51.
• Esfandiari A, Shoaib M, Hogarth L, Panlilio L. Establishing pavlovian to instrumental transfer (PIT) with intravenous nicotine and sucrose in rats. In: Journal of Psychopharmacology: Summer Meeting of the British Association for Psychopharmacology. 2011, Harrogate: Sage Publications Ltd.
• Sekar S, Van Audekerke J, Vanhoutte G, Lowe AS, Blamire AM, Van der Linden A, Steckler T, Shoaib M, Verhoye M. Neuroanatomical targets of reboxetine and bupropion as revealed by pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging. Psychopharmacology 2011, 217(4), 549-557.
• Hahn B, Shoaib M, Stolerman IP. Selective nicotinic receptor antagonists: effects on attention and nicotine-induced attentional enhancement. Psychopharmacology 2011, 217(1), 75-82.
• Rushforth S, Malcolm EL, Smith LN, Lesage ASJ, Steckler T, Shoaib M. Targeting the alpha7 nicotinic receptor subtype to restore working memory deficits in rats following sub-chronic ketamine exposure. In: European Neuropsychopharmacology: European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Workshop on Neuropsychopharmacology for Young Scientists in Europe. 2011, Nice, France: Elsevier BV.
• Rushforth S, Malcolm EL, Smith LN, Lesage ASJ, Steckler T, Shoaib M. Targeting the alpha7 nicotinic receptor subtype to restore working memory deficits in rats following sub-chronic ketamine exposure. In: European Neuropsychopharmacology: 24th Congress Meeting of European College of Neuropsychopharmacology. 2011, Paris, France: Elsevier BV.
• Wing VC, Shoaib M. A second-order schedule of food reinforcement in rats to examine the role of CB1 receptors in the reinforcement-enhancing effects of nicotine. Addiction Biology 2010,15 4 380-392.
• Ismayilova N, Shoaib M. Alteration of intravenous nicotine self-administration by opioid receptor agonist and antagonists in rats. Psychopharmacology 2010, 210(2), 211-220.
• Smith LN, Rushforth S, Malcolm E, Shoaib M. Choline restores kenamine-induced working memory deficits in the rodent odour span task. In: Journal of Psychopharmacology: Summer Meeting of the British Association for Psychopharmacology.2010,Harrogate, UK:Sage Publications Ltd.
• Jones W, Shoaib M. Evaluation of cholinergic mechanisms in a rodent model of the iowa gambling task. In: Journal of Psychopharmacology: Summer Meeting of the British Association for Psychopharmacology.2010,Harrogate, UK:Sage Publications Ltd.
• Sekar S, Raley JM, Lowe AS, Sharp T, Sibson NR, Blamire AM, Steckler T, Shoaib M. Mapping of anxiogenic neuronal profiles induced by the GABA inverse agonist FG-7142 and caffeine using pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging. In: European Neuropsychopharmacology: ECNP Workshop on Neuropsychopharmacology for Young Scientists in Europe. 2010, Nice, France: Elsevier BV.
• Rushforth SL, Steckler T, Shoaib M. Nicotine Restores Cognitive Impairments Following Sub-Chronic Ketamine Exposure in a Rodent Odour Span Task. In: 2nd Conference of the Schizophrenia-International-Research-Society (SIRS). 2010, Florence, Italy: Schizophrenia Research, Elsevier.
• Rushforth SI, Malcolm EL, Steckler T, Shoaib M. Nicotinic agonists but not clozapine or LY404039 improve ketamine-induced deficits in a rodent odour span task. In: Journal of Psychopharmacology: Summer Meeting of the British Association for Psychopharmacology.2010,Harrogate, UK:Sage Publications Ltd.
• Shoaib M. Nicotinic agonists in animal models of attention and working memory. In: European Neuropsychopharmacology: 23rd Congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology.2010,Amsterdam, The Netherlands:Elsevier BV
• Wing VC, Shoaib M. Second-order schedules of nicotine reinforcement in rats: effect of AM251. Addiction Biology 2010,15 4 393-402.
• Malcolm E, Wood C, Shoaib M. Sub-chronic ketamine exposure disrupts cognitive flexibility in a rodent attentional set shifting task. In: International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology: 27th CINP Congress Meeting.2010,Hong Kong:Cambridge University Press
• Ashby ME, Shoaib M. Sub-chronic ketamine exposure impairs reversal learning but not attentional set formation in a rodent attentional set shifting task. In: Journal of Psychopharmacology: Summer Meeting of the British Association for Psychopharmacology.2010,Harrogate, UK:Sage Publications Ltd.
• Rushforth SL, Allison C, Wonnacott S, Shoaib M. Subtype-selective nicotinic agonists enhance olfactory working memory in normal rats: A novel use of the odour span task. Neuroscience Letters 2010, 471(2), 114-118.
• Livingstone PD, Srinivasan J, Kew JN, Dawson LA, Gotti C, Moretti M, Shoaib M, Wonnacott S. alpha 7 and non-alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors modulate dopamine release in vitro and in vivo in the rat prefrontal cortex. European Journal of Neuroscience 2009, 29(3), 539-550.
• Wing VC, Shoaib M. CB1 receptors are involved in some but not all nicotine-motivated behaviours. In: European Neuropsychopharmacology: Papers of the 22nd ECNP Congress.2009,Istanbul, Turkey:Elsevier BV
• Shoaib M. Cue-reactivity in rodents-how predictable?. Addiction 2009. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 104(10), 1619-1620.
• Wing VC, Cagniard B, Murphy NP, Shoaib M. Measurement of affective state during chronic nicotine treatment and withdrawal by affective taste reactivity in mice: The role of endocannabinoids. In: Biochemical Pharmacology: Symposium on Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors as Therapeutic Targets. 2009, Chicago, Illinois: Elsevier Inc..
• Wing V, Cagniard B, Murphy N, Shoaib M. Measurement of affective state during chronic nicotine treatment and withdrawal by affective taste reactivity in mice: The role of endocannabinoids. Biochemical Pharmacology 2009,78 7 825-835.
• Rushforth S, Steckler T, Shoaib M. Nicotine Restores Cognitive Impairments Following Sub-Chronic Ketamine Exposure in a Rodent Odour Span Task. In: Biological Psychiatry: 64th Annual Convention of the Society of Biological Psychiatry. 2009, Vancouver, Canada: Elsevier Inc..
• Wing VC, Shoaib M. P.4.18 Second order schedules of reinforcement to examine the primary and reinforcement-enhancing properties of nicotine. European Neuropsychopharmacology 2009,19 1 S94-S95.
• Wing VC, Shoaib M. Second order schedules of reinforcement to examine the primary and reinforcement-enhancing properties of nicotine. In: European Neuropsychopharmacology: European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Workshop on Neuropsychopharmacology for Young Scientists in Europe. 2009, Nice, France: Elsevier BV.
• Wing VC, Shoaib M. Contextual stimuli modulate extinction and reinstatement in rodents self-administering intravenous nicotine. Psychopharmacology 2008, 200(3), 357-365.
• Shoaib M. The cannabinoid antagonist AM251 attenuates nicotine self-administration and nicotine-seeking behaviour in rats. Neuropharmacology 2008, 54(2), 438-444.
• Wing VC, Shoaib M. Examining the clinical efficacy of bupropion and nortriptyline as smoking cessation agents in a rodent model of nicotine withdrawal. Psychopharmacology 2007, 195(3), 303-313.
• Wing VC, Shoaib M. Investigating the role of contextual stimuli in nicotine detoxification and relapse using the intravenous self-administration procedure in rats. In: Behavioural Pharmacology: 12th Biennial Meeting of the European Pharmacology Society. 2007, Tubingen, Germany: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
• Shoaib M, Ismayilova N. Alteration of nicotine self-administration behaviour by opioid receptor modulating compounds in rats. In: ACNP 45th Annual Meeting. 2006, Hollywood, Florida: American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.
• Shoaib M. Effects of isoarecolone, a nicotinic receptor agonist in rodent models of nicotine dependence. Psychopharmacology 2006, 188(2), 252-257.
• Shoaib M. [abstract] Recent advances in the behavioral pharmacology of nicotine: The exploits of transgenic mouse technology. Nicotine & Tobacco Research 2005,7 4 654-655.
• Kobelis LE, Wing VC, Shoaib M. Contrasting effects of bupropion, a clinically approved smoking cessation aid, in rodent models of nicotine dependence. In: Behavioural Pharmacology: 11th Biennial Meeting of the European Behavioral Pharmacology Society.2005,Barcelona, Spain:Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
• Shoaib M, Bizarro L. Deficits in a sustained attention task following nicotine withdrawal in rats. Psychopharmacology 2005,178 2-3 211-222.
• Warner C, Shoaib M. How does bupropion work as a smoking cessation aid?. Addiction Biology 2005. ,10 3 219-231.
• Shoaib M, Lowe AS, Williams SCR. Imaging localised dynamic changes in the nucleus accumbens following nicotine withdrawal in rats. NeuroImage 2004,22 2 847-854.
• Hahn B, Sharples CGV, Wonnacott S, Shoaib M, Stolerman IP. Attentional effects of nicotinic agonists in rats and their affinity at neuronal nicotinic receptor subtypes. Neuropharmacology 2003, 44(8), 1054-1067.
• Shoaib M, Sidhpura N, Shafait S. Investigating the actions of bupropion on dependence-related measures of nicotine in rats. Psychopharmacology 2003, 165(4), 405-412.
• Hahn B, Shoaib M, Stolerman IP. Involvement of the prefrontal cortex but not the dorsal hippocampus in the attention-enhancing effects of nicotine in rats. Psychopharmacology 2003, 168(3), 271-279.
• Lowe A, Williams SCR, Symms MR, Stolerman IP, Shoaib M. Functional magnetic resonance neuroimaging of drug dependence: Naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal. NeuroImage 2002, 17(2), 902-910.
• Utsuki T, Shoaib M, Lahiri DK, Sambamurti K, Holloway HW, Wallace WC, Haroutunian V, Ingram DK, Greig NH. Nicotine Reduces the Secretion of Alzheimer's ß-Amyloid Precursor Protein Containing ß-Amyloid Peptide in the Rat. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2002, 965, 364-372.
• Lahiri DK, Utsuki T, Chen D, Farlow MR, Shoaib M, Ingram DK, Greig NH. Nicotine reduces the secretion of Alzheimer's ß-amyloid precursor protein containing ß-amyloid peptide in the rat without altering synaptic proteins. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2002, 965, 364-372.
• Hahn B, Shoaib M, Stolerman. Nicotine-induced attentional enhancement: effects of dopamine receptor antagonists. Behavioural Pharmacology 2002, 13(8), 621-632.
• Hahn B, Shoaib M, Stolerman IP. Nicotine-induced enhancement of attention in the five-choice serial reaction time task: the influence of task demands. Psychopharmacology 2002, 162(2), 129-137.
• Shoaib M, Gommans J, Morley A, Stolerman IP, Grailhe R, Changeux J-P. The role of nicotinic receptor beta-2 subunits in nicotine discrimination and conditioned taste aversion. Neuropharmacology 2002, 42(4), 530-539.