Staff Profile

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

• Harun H, Johari IS, Mansor SM, Shoaib M. Assessing physiological dependence and withdrawal potential of mitragynine using schedule-controlled behaviour in rats. Psychopharmacology 2020, 237, 855-867.
• Shoaib M, Perkins KA. Preclinical and clinical research on the discriminative stimulus effects of nicotine. Neuropharmacology 2020, 170, 108063.
• Shoaib M, Wallace TL. Preface. In: Behavioral Pharmacology of the Cholinergic System. Cham: Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2020, pp.v-viii.
• Alzu'bi A, Middleham W, Shoaib M, Clowry GJ. Selective Expression of Nicotinic Receptor Sub-unit mRNA in Early Human Fetal Forebrain. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience 2020, 13, 72.
• Horenstein NA, Quadri M, Stokes C, Shoaib M, Papke RL. Cracking the Betel Nut: Cholinergic Activity of Areca Alkaloids and Related Compounds. Nicotine & Tobacco Research 2019, 21(6), 805-812.
• Ward B, Shoaib M. From Addiction to Alzheimer’s. The Biologist 2019, 66(2), 20-23.
• Shoaib M, Buhidma Y. Why are antidepressant drugs effective smoking cessation aids?. Current Neuropharmacology 2018, 16(4), 426-437.
• Elmorsy E, Shahda M, Mahmoud EHM, Rakha SA, Shoaib M. Blood lactate levels as a biomarker of antipsychotic side effects in patients with schizophrenia. Journal of Psychopharmacology 2016, 30(1), 63-68.
• Shoaib M, Buhidma Y. How can we Improve on Modeling Nicotine Addiction to Develop Better Smoking Cessation Treatments?. International Review of Neurobiology 2016, 126, 121-156.
• Shoaib M, Hall FS. Preclinical Models of Nicotine Withdrawal: Targeting Impaired Cognition. In: Negative Affective States and Cognitive Impairments in Nicotine Dependence. Elsevier Inc, 2016, pp.37-52.
• Wood C, Kohli S, Malcolm E, Allison C, Shoaib M. Subtype-selective nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists can improve cognitive flexibility in an attentional set shifting task. Neuropharmacology 2016, 105, 106-113.
• Jackson A, Silk S, Buhidma Y, Shoaib M. Varenicline, the clinically effective smoking cessation agent, restores probabilistic response reversal performance during withdrawal from nicotine. Addiction Biology 2016, 22(5), 1316-1328.
• Panlilio LV, Hogarth L, Shoaib M. Concurrent access to nicotine and sucrose in rats. Psychopharmacology 2015, 232(8), 1451-1460.
• Harun N, Hassan Z, Navaratnam V, Mansor SM, Shoaib M. Discriminative stimulus properties of mitragynine (kratom) in rats. Psychopharmacology 2015, 232(13), 2227-2238.
• Malcolm E, Carroll FI, Blough B, Damaj MI, Shoaib M. Examination of the metabolite hydroxybupropion in the reinforcing and aversive stimulus effects of nicotine in rats. Psychopharmacology 2015, 232(15), 2763-2771.
• Talpos J, Shoaib M. Executive Function. In: Cognitive Enhancement. Springer New York LLC, 2015, pp.191-213.
• Hall FS, Der-Avakian A, Gould TJ, Markou A, Shoaib M, Young JW. Negative affective states and cognitive impairments in nicotine dependence. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2015, 58, 168-185.
• Silveira MM, Malcolm E, Shoaib M, Winstanley CA. Scopolamine and amphetamine produce similar decision-making deficits on a rat gambling task via independent pathways. Behavioural Brain Research 2015, 281, 86-95.
• Wing VC, Shoaib M. Effect of infusion rate on intravenous nicotine self-administration in rats. Behavioural Pharmacology 2013, 24(5-6), 517-522.
• Allison C, Shoaib M. Nicotine improves performance in an attentional set shifting task in rats. Neuropharmacology 2013, 64, 314-320.
• Clark RA, Shoaib M, Hewitt KN, Stanford SC, Bate ST. A comparison of InVivoStat with other statistical software packages for analysis of data generated from animal experiments. Journal of Psychopharmacology 2012, 26(8), 1136-1142.
• 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.
• Sekar S, Verhoye M, Van Audekerke J, Vanhoutte G, Lowe AS, Blamire AM, Steckler T, Van der Linden A, Shoaib M. Neuroadaptive responses to citalopram in rats using pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging. Psychopharmacology 2011, 213(2-3), 521-531.
• 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.
• Rushforth S, Steckler T, Shoaib M. Nicotine improves working memory span capacity in rats following sub-chronic ketamine exposure. Neuropsychopharmacology 2011, 36(13), 2774-2781.
• Hahn B, Shoaib M, Stolerman IP. Selective nicotinic receptor antagonists: effects on attention and nicotine-induced attentional enhancement. Psychopharmacology 2011, 217(1), 75-82.
• 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.
• 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.
• Wing VC, Shoaib M. Second-order schedules of nicotine reinforcement in rats: effect of AM251. Addiction Biology 2010, 15(4), 393-402.
• 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.
• Shoaib M. Cue-reactivity in rodents-how predictable?. Addiction 2009, 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.
• Wing VC, Shoaib M. Contextual stimuli modulate extinction and reinstatement in rodents self-administering intravenous nicotine. Psychopharmacology 2008, 200(3), 357-365.
• Shoaib M, Allison C. Enhancement of attentional set shifting and olfactory working memory by nicotinic agonists in rats. In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY. 2008, 32 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY 10013-2473 USA: CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS.
• 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.
• 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, 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.