Kathleen Kantak

The following is the Department’s tribute to Professor Kantak upon her retirement.

The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences would like to honor Professor Kathleen Kantak for her many contributions to Boston University over the course of her career. Prof. Kat Kantak has been a vital member of our department, and she has an influential national and international profile based on her important contributions to research on the neural mechanisms of addiction and the treatment of addiction. She has published over 100 research publications and obtained continuous NIH funding for most of her career at BU. She has also made essential contributions to teaching and numerous organizations at BU.

Professor Kantak began as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Boston University in 1982 and founded her Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience. She received tenure in 1988 and became a Full Professor in 1998. She was also affiliated with and taught in the Graduate Program for Neuroscience, the Undergraduate Programs for Neuroscience, the Biomolecular Pharmacology Graduate Training Program, and the Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science at Boston University. She also holds an appointment as Lecturer at Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry (Psychobiology) in conjunction with the Division of Behavioral Biology at the New England Primate Research Center.

Before coming to BU in 1982, Professor Kantak did her undergraduate work at SUNY Potsdam, then graduate work at Syracuse University with Matthew Wayner, followed by post-doctoral work at Univ Wisconsin Madison with Burr Eichelman, and at Tufts University with Klaus Miczek.

Professor Kantak has a national and international profile. She has been invited to give numerous invited talks and seminars at a range of locations including Mexico City, Antwerp and Quebec City and has served on numerous NIH grant review committees. She is on the Editorial Board of the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, where she has been guest editor on special issues on Cognitive Enhancement for the Treatment of Neuropsychiatric Disorders. She is also on the Editorial Board of the journal Behavioural Pharmacology. She has been an important member of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD), organizing many symposia at the annual meeting of the CPDD, and serving on many different committees. Kat was also Secretary/Treasurer of the Behavioral Pharmacology Division of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, and has been a member of the Behavioral Pharmacology Society and the Society for Neuroscience for many years.

It is very impressive that Kat has received continuous grant funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse since 1987 to study various aspects of drug addiction. This research includes work on medication development as well as other treatment modalities focused on using behavioral models of cognition and drug abuse in rodents to understand mechanisms of addiction relevant to clinical work to improve drug addiction treatment outcomes.

Kat has published over 100 papers in a broad range of prestigious journals including Neuropsychopharmacology, Journal of Neuroscience; Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior; Behavioral Brain Research; Hippocampus; Behavioral Neuroscience; Psychopharmacology; Trends in Genetics, etc. She has also made over 100 presentations in conference proceedings.

Some of her most influential publications concern extensive studies using an intravenous drug self-administration procedure in rats, to investigate how multiple memory systems regulate drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior as well as how drug exposure influences the neurocognitive functioning of multiple memory systems. In some of her most highly cited articles, she studied how neurocognitive circuitry of the amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex interact in regulating the learning and extinction of response to cues that trigger cocaine self-administration behavior (Kantak et al. 2002). This study used a second order schedule in which light or sound cues could be associated with the subsequent self-administration, allowing analysis of circuit effects on cue-induced drug seeking behavior compared with maintenance of drug taking behavior. These studies are relevant to exposure therapy targeting drug-related cues in clinical populations. This work included collaboration with Howard Eichenbaum in our department and with Camron Bryant at the BU School of Medicine.

In another line of research, Dr. Kantak evaluated frontostriatal and medial temporal lobe neurocognitive deficits in rats with an Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder phenotype. Focusing on the adolescent developmental period, she evaluated the response of rats with an ADHD phenotype to stimulant and non-stimulant medications, particularly in terms of comorbidity between ADHD and later vulnerability to drug addiction.

Prof. Kantak also worked on intriguing efforts to develop a vaccine to trigger anti-cocaine antibodies for prevention of relapse (Kantak et al. 2000). In recent work she analyzed the effect of distinct serotonin neuronal subtypes on cocaine reward and memory (Baskin et al., 2020).

She incorporated cognitive-enhancing pharmacotherapy and brief interventions with environmental enrichment or targeted cognitive training to improve extinction learning for relapse prevention. She collaborated with other faculty, including Professor Michael Otto in our department and Prof. Hengye Man in Biology in studying efficacy of cognitive enhancers including D-cycloserine and other drugs for accelerating extinction of addiction and treatment of anxiety disorders (Nic Dhonnchadha et al., 2012; Otto et al., 2010). This work shows the neural plasticity associated with these therapeutic strategies that could translate to clinical translational approaches in nonhuman primates and human subjects.

In addition to her national and international role in research, Professor Kantak has played vital service roles in our Department and in the University. In the PBS department, she was the Director of Graduate Studies, and played a central role on many search committees and undergraduate and graduate committees. At the University level, she has participated in important processes such as the 7-year medical admissions interviewer and program oversight committee, the graduate and undergraduate committees on academic conduct, the Appointment Promotions and Tenure Committee (APT), and UAPT. She also served the university on the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and search committees for director of Laboratory Animal Care Facilities.

We in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences have been deeply impressed by the rigorous and productive work that Professor Kat Kantak has done during her tenure at Boston University on the neural mechanisms of addiction and treatment of addiction. We wish her all the best in her retirement.

Professor Kantak provided the following personal reflection upon her retirement.

As I look back on over four decades of my tenure as a full-time faculty member in Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University, I am filled with a profound sense of gratitude, accomplishment, and nostalgia. These years have been a journey of growth, learning, and contribution, both to the academic community and to the lives of countless students who have passed through the halls of our institution. Armed with a passion for understanding the complexities of the human mind and behavior through the lens of animal studies, I embarked on this adventure with enthusiasm and determination.

My journey at Boston University began in 1982, at which time the department was called Psychology. I brought to the department a fresh neuroscience perspective that permeated my teaching and research activities. Over the next several decades, our department grew steadily in the neurosciences to the point where it became clear that a change in the name of our department was needed to accurately reflect who we had become, namely Psychological and Brain Sciences. Throughout the years, Boston University provided a fertile ground for intellectual exploration and academic excellence. I had the privilege of collaborating with multiple esteemed colleagues both within and outside of Boston University. The insights and expertise of these numerous individuals enriched my understanding of the causes and treatments for substance use disorders. Together, we delved into diverse areas of research, from cognitive psychology to neuroscience and neurobiology, and from developmental psychology to clinical applications, always pushing the boundaries of knowledge and innovation. As the years passed, I also witnessed profound shifts in the landscape of academia and the broader society. Technological advancements revolutionized the way we conducted research, opening up new avenues for exploration and discovery. Societal changes brought forth fresh challenges and opportunities, especially in the area of substance use disorders, prompting us to adapt and evolve in our approach to teaching, research, and outreach.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my tenure has been the opportunity to mentor and guide aspiring scholars of diverse backgrounds. Watching undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students and trainees grow and flourish under my tutelage has been immensely fulfilling. Whether in the classroom, the laboratory, or during one-on-one interactions, I endeavored to instill in them a passion for inquiry, critical thinking, and ethical practice. Many of these students have gone on to make significant contributions of their own, carrying forward the torch of knowledge and shaping the future of psychological and brain sciences. As I bid farewell to Boston University after 41 years as a full-time faculty member, I am filled with a profound sense of gratitude for the experiences, opportunities, and relationships that have enriched my life. The memories of late nights in the lab, stimulating discussions with colleagues, and the joy of witnessing students’ “aha” moments will stay with me forever.

The following is Professor Kantak’s original faculty profile.

Director: Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience

Dr. Kantak began as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Boston University in 1982 and founded the Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience. She rose through the ranks to Full Professor, with tenure. She is concurrently affiliated with the Center for Neuroscience, the Interdisciplinary Graduate and Undergraduate Programs in Neuroscience, the Bimolecular Pharmacology Graduate Training Program, and the Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science at Boston University. She also holds an appointment as Lecturer at Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry (Psychobiology) in conjunction with the Division of Behavioral Biology at the New England Primate Research Center. Dr. Kantak has received grant funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse since 1987 to study various aspects of drug addiction, including medication development and other treatment modalities.

Her current research focuses on cognitive aspects of addiction-related behavior. Her overall goal is to conduct translational research using trans-species behavioral models of cognition and drug abuse and to interface her work with that of neurobiologists to understand mechanisms and with that of clinicians to improve drug addiction treatment outcomes.

Using intravenous drug self-administration procedures in rats, Dr. Kantak has investigated how multiple memory systems regulate drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior as well as how drug exposure influences the neurocognitive functioning of multiple memory systems. In addition, she spearheaded the effort to develop animal protocols that model exposure therapy targeting drug-related cues in clinical populations. She incorporates cognitive-enhancing pharmacotherapy and brief interventions with environmental enrichment or targeted cognitive training to improve extinction learning for relapse prevention. Within the context of these studies, she and her collaborators elaborate the neurosubstrates and neuroplasticity changes associated with these therapeutic strategies as well as translate these approaches to nonhuman primates and human subjects. In another line of research, Dr. Kantak evaluates frontostriatal and medial temporal lobe neurocognitive deficits in rats with an Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder phenotype. Focusing on the adolescent developmental period, she evaluates the response of rats with an ADHD phenotype to stimulant and non-stimulant medications, particularly in terms of comorbidity between ADHD and later vulnerability to drug addiction.

Selected Publications

• Kantak KM, Nic Dhonnchadha BÁ (2011) Pharmacological Enhancement of Drug Cue Extinction Learning: Translational Challenges. In: Addiction Reviews 2010, George Uhl editor, Ann NY Acad Sci. 1216: 122-137.
• Harvey RC, Sen S, Deaciuc A, Dwoskin LP, Kantak KM (2011). Methylphenidate treatment in adolescent rats with an attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder phenotype: Cocaine addiction vulnerability and dopamine transporter function. Neuropsychopharmacology, 36: 837-847.
• Nic Dhonnchadha BÁ, Lovascio B, Shrestha N, Kirkman C, Lin A, Leite-Morris KA, Man HY, Kaplan GB, Kantak KM (2012) Changes in expression of c-Fos protein following cocaine-cue extinction learning. Behav Brain Res. 234:100-106.
• Achat-Mendes C, Nic Dhonnchadha BA, Platt DM, Kantak KM, Spealman RD (2012). Glycine transporter-1 inhibition preceding extinction training inhibits reacquisition of cocaine seeking. Neuropsychopharmacology. 37: 2837-2845.
• Nic Dhonnchadha BA, Lin A, Leite-Morris KA, Kaplan GB, Man HY, Kantak KM (2013). Alterations in expression and phosphorylation of GluA1 receptors following cocaine-cue extinction learning. Behav Brain Res, 238: 119-123.
• Somkuwar SS, Darna M, Kantak KM, Dwoskin LP (2013). Adolescence methylphenidate treatment in a rodent model of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Dopamine transporter function and cellular distribution in adulthood. Biochemical Pharmacology, 86: 309-316.
• Somkuwar SS*, Jordan CJ*, Kantak KM, Dwoskin LP (2013). Adolescent atomoxetine treatment in a rodent model of ADHD: Effects on cocaine self-administration and dopamine transporters in frontostriatal regions. Neuropsychopharmacology, in press.
  * co-first authors