Bickel Lab
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Home ItemWarren K. Bickel, Ph.D. (b. 1956, d. 2024) , home
Virginia Tech Carilion Research Professor; Founding Director of the Addiction Recovery Research Center and the Center for Health Behaviors Research

Founded by principal investigator Warren K. Bickel, Ph.D. (b. 1956, d. 2024), the Bickel Lab focuses on addiction and human decision making. Fundamental to solving the problem of addiction and other dysfunctional health behaviors is to understand how an individual continues to engage in a behavior despite recognizing that this behavior is both problematic and self-handicapping. The Addiction Recovery Research Center seeks to answer this and related questions by examining decision-making processes that support dysfunctional behaviors and seeks novel therapeutic means to repair those dysfunctional processes. Projects include the translational assessment of dysfunctional decision-making among the addicted and using that knowledge to explore of diverse interventions to treatment and improve the decision-making dysfunction. A central tenet of this research is that trans-disease processes undergird the expression of a variety of self-handicapping decisions and that successful treatments will be applicable across those diseases.
Behavioral Economics - A new field in the scientific world that unites the behavior analysis subfield of psychology with economic models of purchasing and consumption. This provides powerful tools for predicting and manipulating health-related and drug abuse behaviors.
Biometrics - Confirmation of self-report is frequently combined with quickly administered biometrics such as Carbon Monoxide or alcohol levels in the breath, and Cotinine present in urine. Heart rate and blood pressure may also be used to determine cue reactivity and monitor ongoing participant safety.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)- fMRI measures changes in the properties of blood throughout the brain. In general, the more a brain area is being used, the more oxygen it needs for energy. As hemoglobin in the blood releases oxygen for energy, an indirect measure of brain activity is obtained. Measuring these functional changes during various types of tasks, together with structural MRI data, can reveal compromised brain function in important brain areas related to addiction.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), also known as diffusion MRI, measures the movement of molecules, mainly water, throughout the body. In the brain, water movement can serve as an indirect measure of tissue integrity.
Bar Laboratory - Pioneered by Dr. James MacKillop, this laboratory space replicates the look and feel of a small private bar. Participants are monitored as they self-administer alcohol within a controlled but realistic environment. This transforms predicted behavior from modeled theory to real world observation of live exhibited behavior.
Smoking Laboratory - A negative air-flow room with behavioral booths that allows for participants to self-administer nicotine containing products including cigarettes while taking behavioral assessments. Much like the bar lab, the smoking lab allows observation of real time consumption behaviors.
Remote Survey - Tools like Amazon’s Mechanical Turk or our own Quit and Recovery Registry can help rapidly administer surveys to a broad and widespread sample. The Registry focuses on studying people who have recovered from drug abuse habits and hopes to shed light on factors that contribute towards success in that process.
Brain Stimulation Approaches - Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)- uses electromagnetic induction to increase or decrease brain activity in specific cortical areas. Understanding natural functional processes can help guide TMS stimulation parameters in effort to establish or reestablish healthy brain function in individuals suffering from addiction. TMS is currently FDA approved as a treatment for depression and anxiety. Our lab utilizes cutting edge TMS procedures pioneered by Dr. Coleen Hanlon.
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) - tDCS works by sending constant, low direct current through the electrodes positioned on the surface of the head. This current flow can either increase or decrease neuronal excitability and alter brain activity.
Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) - Similar to tDCS, tACS passes current between electrodes positioned outside the head. In this case, however, the alternating current applied is sinusoidal.
Why do some people overcome addiction while others relapse? To gain insights into recovery, we launched the International Quit & Recovery Registry, which taps the wisdom and experiences of those in recovery from an addiction. With their help, the Addiction Recovery Research Center will advance the science of recovery and translate these insights into new treatments.
International Quit & Recovery Registry
A great deal of research has focused on understanding addiction and developing more effective addiction treatments, yielding a wealth of new knowledge in these areas. However, very little research has been directed towards those people who are in recovery from an addiction, particularly towards those people who quit engaging in their addiction on their own without professional treatment. The International Quit & Recovery Registry enables those who have recovered from an addiction to share their stories and make themselves available to be contacted for future research on individuals in recovery.
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Bio ItemChesley Ammermann , bio
Research Coordinator
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Bio ItemRevati Bhavsar , bio
Research Programmer
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Bio ItemLaura Bruckner , bio
Graduate Student, Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health
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Bio ItemEmily Chipman , bio
Integrated Health Sciences Research Student, Clinical Neuroscience
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Bio ItemZac Elbash , bio
Undergraduate Student, Clinical Neuroscience
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Bio ItemRafaela Fontes, Ph.D. , bio
Research Scientist
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Bio ItemMary Fowler , bio
Research Assistant and Programs Coordinator
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Bio ItemHannah Franklin , bio
Research Assistant
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Bio ItemKirstin Gatchalian , bio
Program Manager, Interim Co-director, Addiction Recovery Research Center
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Bio ItemJacob Holloway , bio
Research Assistant
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Bio ItemRose Kaur , bio
Research Assistant
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Bio ItemMadeleine Mason, Ph.D. , bio
Postdoctoral Associate
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Bio ItemGhada Nusair , bio
Research Associate
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Bio ItemJessica Nwachukwu , bio
Undergraduate Student, New River Community College
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Bio ItemShivani Patil , bio
Research Programmer
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Bio ItemGarrett Posey , bio
Research Assistant
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Bio ItemAllison Tegge, Ph.D. , bio
Research Associate Professor
Collaborators
- Kristen Chang, MS, RDN, CSSD, Instructor, Director of Nutrition and Dietetics, Department of Human Nutrition Foods and Exercise, Virginia Tech
- Brent Kaplan, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Kentucky College of Medicine
- Ghada Nusair, Ph.D.
- Daniel Cabral, Ph.D.
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Article ItemCenter for Transformative Research on Health Behaviors rises on Health Sciences and Technology campus , article
Scientists and clinicians throughout Virginia Tech and Carilion Clinic will join forces at the new VTCRI Center for Transformative Research on Health Behaviors in an effort to protect the health of people in Virginia and the United States
Date: May 17, 2017 - -
Article ItemInstitute Scholars' research crosses the globe and disciplines , article
The Scholars Program from the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment is designed to support faculty in strengthening the proposals for external funding, the collection of preliminary data, and other proposal development activities.
Date: Feb 07, 2017 - -
Article ItemNIH’s alcohol addiction research programs leader will speak at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute , article
George Koob, the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, will discuss the neurocircuitry of alcohol addiction at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute.
Date: Jan 17, 2017 - -
Article ItemVirginia Tech addiction expert lauds surgeon general’s report on substance use disorders, calls for treatment reform , article
Warren Bickel says the country must start treating the substance use addiction as a legitimate medical problem deserving of treatment rather than a criminal one always deserving of prison.
Date: Nov 20, 2016 - -
Article ItemTask force calls for community action to combat addiction epidemic , article
A summit will take place on July 26, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, and feature experts and those directly affected by addiction and substance abuse.
Date: Jul 25, 2016 - -
Article ItemScientists at Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute take part in $15 million research project to study cigarettes and vaporized nicotine , article
Warren Bickel and his team will test four factors influencing a person’s choice between vaporized nicotine products and conventional cigarettes: nicotine dose, extra costs, smoke-free environments, and flavors.
Date: Jun 13, 2016 - -
Article ItemAddiction scholar honored with career achievement award , article
The College on Problems of Drug Dependence selected Warren Bickel as the 2016 recipient of the Nathan B. Eddy Award.
Date: Apr 05, 2016 -
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