University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Logo University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
College of Medicine: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Brenda Gannon, Ph.D.

Brenda Gannon Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Phone: BGannon@uams.edu

Education & Training

  • Graduate Certificate, Regulatory Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (2014)
  • Ph.D., Interdisciplinary Toxicology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (2015)
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Texas Health Science Center-San Antonio (2015-2018)

Research Interests

My research interests are broadly aimed at investigating the ‘abuse-related effects’ of emerging, novel drugs. This includes evaluation of novel psychoactive substances (NPSs) that appear on the illicit drug market (which includes synthetic cannabinoids, cathinone analogues, psychedelics, and novel opioids) and are used as drugs of abuse as well as performing preclinical abuse liability assessments to aid in the development of CNS-active therapeutics. As most NPSs are first detected in preparations that include several compounds that fall under a legal grey area, I also have overlapping research interests related to polypharmacology/drug-drug interactions and regulatory affairs and policy.

Accordingly, my research often utilizes intravenous self-administration procedures to assess the degree to which various factors influence (1) the acquisition of drug-taking, (2) the reinforcing effectiveness and potency of drugs, and (3) the effectiveness of drug-associated stimuli to promote responding during periods in which the drug is no longer available. In addition to drug self-administration, the lab also utilizes other behavioral pharmacology assays including drug-discrimination, food-maintained responding, radio-telemetric assessments, and recording of other observable behaviors. Collectively, these procedures can be used to better characterize the toxicologic profile of NPSs as well as the pharmacologic profile of candidate medications that may produce CNS effects.

Current Research Support

  • 1R01DA062021-01A1, Co-I (07/06/2026 – 07/05/2031) “Abuse-related and neurocognitive consequences of halogenated arylcyclohexylamines”
  • 15DDHQ24A00000020, Key Personnel [Co-I equivalent], (01/01/2025 – 12/31/2029)
  • “Evaluation of Abuse Potential of Hallucinogenic Substances Using In Vivo Pharmacological Studies.”
  • 15DDHQ24A00000027, Key Personnel [Co-I equivalent], (01/01/2025 – 12/31/2029)
  • “Evaluation of Abuse Potential of Synthetic Cathinones and other Stimulants Using In Vivo Pharmacological Studies.”

Publications

  • Henningfield JE, … , and Gannon BM. (2026) Abuse potential assessment of novel CNS active and psychedelic substances for CSA scheduling recommendations. J Psychopharmacol. Jan;40(1):212-223. PMCID: PMC13198618.
  • Gannon BM, Shepard ME, Pressley JM, Shaw HE, Wolf KJ, Avram M, Moran JH, Fantegrossi WE. (2025) Effects of orally self-administered furanyl fentanyl and acryl fentanyl in mice: antinociception, dependence and withdrawal, and defense of consumption. Neuropharmacology. Nov 1:278:110562. PMCID: PMC12278997.
  • Fantegrossi WE and Gannon BM. (2024) A “furious” effort to develop novel 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine-like therapeutics. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. Sep 18;391(1):18-21. PMID: 39293859.
  • Murphy C, Gannon BM, Winsauer PJ, Cooper ZD, and Delatte MS. (2024) The development of cannabinoids as therapeutic agents in the United States. Pharmacol Rev. Aug 15;76(5):915-955. PMID: 38849155.
  • Gannon BM, Fitzgerald LR, Godwin CO, Hughes-Meredith HD, Rice KC, and Fantegrossi WE. (2024) Erratum to “Effects of ambient temperature on locomotor activity and place conditioning elicited by abused psychostimulants in mice: Role of 3,4-methylenedioxy moiety” [Drug Alcohol Depend. 250 (2023) 110917]. Drug Alcohol Depend. Mar 1:256:111129. PMCID: PMC11049672.
  • Gannon BM, Fitzgerald LR, Godwin CO, Hughes-Meredith HD, Rice KC, and Fantegrossi WE. (2023) Effects of Ambient Temperature on Locomotor Activity and Place Conditioning Elicited by Abused Psychostimulants in Mice: Role of 3,4-methylenedioxy moiety. Drug Alcohol Depend. 250:110917. PMCID: PMC10481935.
  • Doyle MR, Gannon BM, Mesmin MP, and Collins GT. (2022) Application of dose-addition analyses to characterize the abuse-related effects of drug mixtures. J Exp Anal Behav. 117(3):442-456. PMCID: PMC9327442.
  • Oppong-Damoah A, Gannon BM, and Murnane KS. (2022) The Endocannabinoid System and Alcohol Dependence: Will Cannabinoid Receptor 2 Agonism be More Fruitful than Cannabinoid Receptor 1 Antagonism? CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 21(1):3-13. PMID: 33573565.
  • Maier J, Rauter L, Rudin D, Niello M, Holy M, Schmid D, Wilson J, Blough BE, Gannon BM, Murnane KS, and Sitte HH. (2021) α-PPP and its derivatives are selective partial releasers at the human norepinephrine transporter: A pharmacological characterization of interactions between pyrrolidinopropiophenones and high and low affinity monoamine transporters. Neuropharmacology. 190:108570. PMID: 33864800.
  • Gannon BM, Rice KC, and Murnane KS. (2021) MDPV “high-responder” rats also self-administer more oxycodone than their “low-responder” counterparts under a fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 238(4):1183-1192. PMID: 33484299.
  • Gannon BM, Mesmin MP, Sulima A, Rice KC, and Collins GT. (2019) Behavioral economic analysis of the reinforcing effects of “bath salts” mixtures: studies with MDPV, methylone, and caffeine in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 236(3):1031-1041. PMCID: PMC6440875.
  • Gannon BM, Baumann MH, Walther D, Jimenez-Morigosa C, Sulima A, Rice KC, and Collins GT. (2018) The abuse- related effects of pyrrolidine-containing cathinones are related to their potency and selectivity to inhibit the dopamine transporter. Neuropsychopharmacology. 43(12):2399-2407. PMCID: PMC6180085.
  • Gannon BM, Sulima A, Rice KC, and Collins GT. (2018) Inhibition of cocaine and 3,4- methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) self-administration by lorcaserin is mediated by 5-HT2C receptors in rats. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 364(2):359-366. PMCID: PMC5787931.
  • Gannon BM, Galindo KI, Mesmin MP, Rice KC, and Collins GT. (2018) Reinforcing effects of binary mixtures of the bath salts constituents: 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), 3,4- methylenedioxymethcathinone (methylone), and caffeine in rats. Neuropsychopharmacology. 43(4):761-769. PMCID: PMC5809783.
  • Gannon BM, Williamson A, Rice KC, and Fantegrossi WE. (2018) Role of monoaminergic systems and ambient temperature in bath salts constituent 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) elicited hyperthermia and locomotor stimulation in mice. Neuropharmacology. 134(Pt A):13-21. PMCID: PMC5837893.
  • Gannon BM, Galindo KI, Mesmin MP, Sulima A, Rice KC, and Collins GT. (2018) Relative reinforcing effects of second-generation synthetic cathinones: acquisition of self-administration and fixed ratio dose-response curves in rats. Neuropharmacology. 134(Pt A):28-35. PMCID: PMC5809320.
  • Gannon BM, Russell LN, Modi MS, Rice KC, and Fantegrossi WE. (2017) Reinforcing, locomotor, and appetitive stimulus effects of orally self-administered bath salt constituent 3,4- methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) in mice. Drug Alcohol Depend. 179:408-415. PMCID: PMC5708564.
  • Gannon BM, Rice KC, and Collins GT. (2017) Reinforcing effects of abused ‘bath salts’ constituents 3,4- methylenedioxypyrovalerone and α-pyrrolidinopentiophenone and their enantiomers. Behav Pharmacol. 28(7):578-581. PMCID: PMC5599337.
  • Gannon BM, Galindo KI, Rice KC, and Collins GT. (2017) Individual differences in the relative reinforcing effects of 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) under fixed and progressive ratio schedules of reinforcement in rats. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 361(1):181-189. PMCID: PMC5363773.