Research

My field of research is neurobehaviour and cognition. I am particularly interested in the cognition that accompanies drug addiction. Brain areas and processes that underlie the drug addiction are overlapping extensively with those that underlie cognition, thus it would be beneficial to know if the treatment of the cognitive impairments is capable of ameliorating continuous drug use. Cognitive flexibilities including learning, memory and attention following drug addiction are evaluated using behavioural paradigms. The underlying neural mechanisms can be further determined by looking at the neurochemical release in specific brain regions using brain microdialysis in freely moving animals.

Current research project:

• Assessment of the cognitive functions following mitragynine substitution in morphine-addicted rats.
• Role of the cholinergic and glutamatergic systems in the cognitive functions following mitragynine substitution in morphine-addicted rats.

People

Publications

 SELECTED PUBLICATIONS (FROM 2010)

1. Suhaimi, F.W., Yusoff, N.H., Hassan, R., Mansor, S.M., Navaratnam, V., Müller, C.P., Hassan, Z. (2016) Neurobiology of Kratom and its main alkaloid mitragynine. Brain Res Bull. 126, 29.
2. Yusoff, N.H., Suhaimi, F.W., Vadivelu, R.K., Hassan, Z., Rümler, A., Rotter, A., Amato, D., Dringenberg, H.C., Mansor, S.M., Navaratnam, V., Müller, C.P. (2016) Abuse potential and adverse cognitive effects of mitragynine (kratom). Addict Biol. 21, 98.
3. Hassan, Z., Muzaimi, M., Navaratnam, V., Yusoff, N.H., Suhaimi, F.W., Vadivelu, R., Vicknasingam, B.K., Amato, D., von Hörsten, S., Ismail, N.I., Jayabalan, N., Hazim, A.I., Mansor, S.M., Müller, C.P. (2013) From Kratom to mitragynine and its derivatives: physiological and behavioural effects related to use, abuse, and addiction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 37, 138.
4. Hassan, Z., Sattar, M.Z., Suhaimi, F.W., Yusoff, N.H., Abdulla, M.H., Yusof, A.P., Johns, E.J. (2013) Blunted endogenous GABA-mediated inhibition in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Acta Neurol Belg. 113, 319.
5. Suhaimi, F.W., Yusoff, N.H., Dewa, A., Yusof, A.P. (2010) Role of excitatory amino acid input in rostral ventrolateral medulla neurons in rats with obesity-induced hypertension. Acta Neurol Belg. 110, 57.

Published Abstracts

1. Suhaimi, F., Hassan, Z., Navaratnam, V., Muller, C.P., Mansor, S.M. (2016) Effects of naloxone and bicuculline on acquisition of passive avoidance task in mitragynine-treated rats. Front. Cell. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: 14th Meeting of the Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry. doi: 10.3389/conf.fncel.2016.36.00118.
2. Hassan, Z., Suhaimi, F., Dringenberg, H.C., Muller, C.P. (2016) Impaired water maze learning and hippocampal long-term potentiation after mitragynine (Kratom) treatment in rats. Front. Cell. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: 14th Meeting of the Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry. doi: 10.3389/conf.fncel.2016.36.00058.
3. Suhaimi, F., Hassan, Z., Navaratnam, V., Müller C.P. (2012) Impairment of memory formation, consolidation and retrieval of inhibitory avoidance task in acute mitragynine-treated rats. Front. Hum. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: ACNS-2012 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2012.208.00176.