The Brain and Behavior Research Foundation awarded UTEP School of Pharmacy Assistant Professor Ian Mendez, Ph.D., a two-year, $70,000 grant to study the role that a neurotransmitter called enkephalin plays in cue-induced, reward-seeking behavior. "When stimuli in our environment, such as lights or sounds, are repeatedly paired with rewards, they gain a powerful ability to increase an individual’s motivation to obtain and consume rewards,” Mendez explained."....