Using rat models for addiction behavior, Schoffelmeer's hypothesis-driven research has an excellent international reputation in the addiction field. His group uses animals that get addicted, next get rid of their addiction and then are brought into situations that might trigger the craving. “We examine the effectiveness of stimuli that cause drug-addicted animals seeking for drugs during abstinence in a compulsive manner. These stimuli may be environmental cues associated with prior drug consumption, drugs or stressors.”

“Using such behavioral models, coworker Taco de Vries for instance discovered that endocannabinoids play a role in conditioned reinforcement and that the cannabinoid receptor (CB1) antagonist SR141716A prevents relapse to drug-seeking behavior in addicted rats. This finding, that was published three years ago in Nature Medicine, got wide attention, and provided the rationale for current clinical studies in human nicotine and alcohol addicts.”