At the Hynes Lab, we study how the brain learns to associate cues, rewards, and actions to understand how learning goes awry in addiction. Our research explores the dynamic interplay between dopamine and acetylcholine systems, the astrocytic networks that regulate them, and the sex-specific neural adaptations that drive vulnerability to substance use and gambling disorder.

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Using cutting-edge tools like dual-colour fibre photometry, chemogenetics, optogenetics, and spatial transcriptomics, we dissect how dopamine–acetylcholine–astrocyte interactions shape associative learning, motivation, and habit formation.

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By integrating real-time circuit imaging with single-cell molecular mapping, we aim to reveal how drugs and reward-related cues hijack these systems to promote maladaptive learning. Through this approach, we seek to redefine the cellular logic of addiction and identify new therapeutic targets that restore balance between dopamine, acetylcholine, and astrocytic regulation of behaviour.

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