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College of Medicine: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Michael Berquist II, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Pharmacology & Toxicology Department
Phone: 501-686-5394
Fax: 501-686-5510

Education

Ph.D.- Western Michigan University, 2016

Research Interest

Dr. Michael Berquist’s research interest is to study the relationship between experiences of early life adversity, such as resource scarcity and prenatal opioid exposure, and enhanced risk for developing alcohol use disorders. Personal experiences of early life adversity are strongly associated with drug use and mental health disorders later in life. Our group attempts to block or diminish the development of these problems by testing non-drug interventions, such as physical activity and social stability, and pharmacotherapies during adolescence—a critical neuropsychological developmental period in which individuals experiment with psychoactive drugs and have formative psychosocial experiences. Dr. Berquist primarily uses behavioral assays in rodents and collaborates with UAMS faculty to study the impact of early life adversity on alcohol use, as well as test putative interventions. 

Dr. Berquist is currently not accepting students.  

Publications

  • Berquist MD, Leth-Petersen S, Kristensen JL, Fantegrossi WE. In vivo effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and its deuterated form in rodents: Drug discrimination and thermoregulation. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2020 Mar 1;208:107850. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.107850. Epub 2020 Jan 13. PMID: 31954950.
  • Berquist MD, Leth-Petersen S, Kristensen JL, Fantegrossi WE. Locomotor effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and its deuterated form in mice: psychostimulant effects, stereotypy, and sensitization. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2020 Feb;237(2):431-442. doi: 10.1007/s00213-019-05380-3. Epub 2019 Nov 15. PMID: 31729537.
  • Bullock TA, Berquist MD, Baker LE. Locomotor sensitization in male Sprague-Dawley rats following repeated concurrent treatment with 4-methylmethcathinone and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. Behav Pharmacol. 2019 Oct;30(7):566-573. doi: 10.1097/FBP.0000000000000491. PMID: 31268871.
  • Hyatt WS, Berquist MD, Chitre NM, Russell LN, Rice KC, Murnane KS, Fantegrossi WE. Repeated administration of synthetic cathinone 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone persistently increases impulsive choice in rats. Behav Pharmacol. 2019 Oct;30(7):555-565. doi: 10.1097/FBP.0000000000000492. PMID: 31211703.
  • McClenahan SJ, Hambuchen MD, Simecka CM, Gunnell MG, Berquist MD, Owens SM. Cardiovascular effects of 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2019 Feb 1;195:140-147. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.12.006. Epub 2019 Jan 4. PubMed PMID: 30634109; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6915966.
  • Hambuchen MD, Berquist MD, Simecka CM, McGill MR, Gunnell MG, Hendrickson HP, Owens SM. Effect of Bile Duct Ligation-induced Liver Dysfunction on Methamphetamine Pharmacokinetics and Locomotor Activity in Rats. J Pharm Pharm Sci. 2019;22(1):301-312. doi: 10.18433/jpps30471. PMID: 31329536.
  • Berquist MD, Hyatt WS, Bauer-Erickson J, Gannon BM, Norwood AP, Fantegrossi WE. Phencyclidine-like in vivo effects of methoxetamine in mice and rats. Neuropharmacology. 2018 May 15;134(Pt A):158-166. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.08.028. Epub 2017 Aug 19. PMID: 28830759; PMCID: PMC5818319.
  • Fantegrossi WE, Wilson CD, Berquist MD. Pro-psychotic effects of synthetic cannabinoids: interactions with central dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate systems. Drug Metab Rev. 2018 Feb;50(1):65-73. doi: 10.1080/03602532.2018.1428343. Epub 2018 Jan 31. Review. PMID: 29385930; Central PMCID: PMC6419500.
  • Berquist MD, Fantegrossi WE. Discriminative Stimulus Effects of Psychostimulants. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2018;39:29-49. doi: 10.1007/7854_2017_5. Review. PubMed PMID: 28341944.
  • Ford BM, Franks LN, Tai S, Fantegrossi WE, Stahl EL, Berquist MD, Cabanlong CV, Wilson CD, Penthala NR, Crooks PA, Prather PL. Characterization of structurally novel G protein biased CB1 agonists: Implications for drug development. Pharmacol Res. 2017 Nov;125(Pt B):161-177. doi: 10.1016/j.phrs.2017.08.008. Epub 2017 Aug 23. PMID: 28838808;  PMCID: PMC5849406.