Smith Lab Researchers Explore the Science Behind Human Connection, Loss and Recovery

LAWRENCE — Relationships shape nearly every aspect of human life. They help people cope with stress, provide support during difficult times and influence physical and mental health. Yet scientists still have much to learn about how the brain forms, maintains and responds to those social bonds.

That question drives the work of Dr. Adam Smith’s laboratory at the University of Kansas, where researchers are studying how experiences such as stress, grief and addiction affect the brain’s social circuitry. By understanding the biological mechanisms behind some of life’s most significant relationships, the team hopes to identify new approaches for treating mental health and substance use disorders.

Using prairie voles, one of the few mammal species that forms long-term social bonds, Smith and his students examine how the brain responds to attachment and what happens when those bonds are disrupted. The work connects basic neuroscience to challenges that affect millions of people, including depression, anxiety, prolonged grief and addiction.

“What we're really trying to do is understand the science behind real-world experiences,” Smith said. “Understanding how the brain is impacted by those experiences helps us identify brain systems that could become targets for new therapies.”

Several projects in the lab focus on how stress and loss alter social behavior. Recent doctoral graduate Dr. Lina Nerio investigated how chronic stress affects the ability to form social attachments. Her research examined neurochemical systems involved in both the stress response and pair bonding, helping scientists better understand how adverse experiences may contribute to social withdrawal, anxiety and depression.

Other researchers are exploring what happens when important relationships end. Pharmacology & Toxicology doctoral candidate Camryn Lowe studies the biology of grief, examining why the brain remains strongly motivated to seek reminders of a lost partner and how those responses may differ in individuals experiencing prolonged grief. Her work aims to establish a biological foundation for understanding a universal human experience that has received relatively little attention from neuroscience researchers.

The lab is also investigating how addiction intersects with social relationships. Neuroscience doctoral candidate Amina Tbaba-Roy studies how heroin use and withdrawal affect pair bonding and social behavior, while incoming doctoral student Aspen Harder is contributing to research examining how opioid use disrupts brain systems involved in attachment. Together, the projects seek to better understand the cycle in which addiction can strain relationships while social isolation can worsen substance use.

Although each project focuses on a different aspect of social behavior, they share a common goal: understanding how the brain processes connection, loss and recovery. Researchers say that knowledge could ultimately help reduce stigma surrounding mental health and addiction while informing more effective treatments.

For Smith, the broader significance of the work lies in its relevance to everyday life.

Whether studying the effects of stress, the pain of losing a loved one or the impact of addiction on families, the lab is examining experiences nearly everyone will encounter in some form. By uncovering the biology behind those experiences, researchers hope to build a foundation for therapies that help people navigate some of life’s most difficult challenges.