Department of Psychology

Psychology > Faculty > Richard Bodnar

Richard Bodnar

Richard Bodnar, PhD

Basic Information

Title: Professor of Psychology, Queens College, CUNY and Executive Officer, Psychology Doctoral Program, CUNY Graduate Center
Area: Neuroanatomy and Behavioral Neuroscience
PhD: City University of New York, 1976
Email: richard.bodnar@qc.cuny.edu; rbodnar@gc.cuny.edu
Office: Razran Hall, Room 270
Office Phone: 914-980-9792
Lab: Razran Hall Rooms 253 and 270139 Kiely
Lab Phone: n/a

Former Positions

  • Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, Queens College, CUNY (2008-2016)
  • Chairperson, Department of Psychology, Queens College, CUNY (1998-2008)
  • Head, Neuropsychology Doctoral Subprogram, CUNY Graduate Center (1992-1998)

Professional Activities

Society Memberships

  • Society for Neuroscience
  • Sigma Xi Scientific Honor Society
  • New York Neuropsychology Group
  • American Psychological Society
  • Eastern Psychological Association
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • New York Academy of Sciences
  • American Pain Society
  • Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior

Editorial Advisory Boards

  • Physiology and Behavior
  • Nutritional Neuroscience; Associate Editor
  • Peptides
  • Brain Research

Research Summary

Since its inception in 1979, our Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory has been pursuing research examining the underlying pharmacology and neuroanatomical sites of action of two major neurobehavioral homeostatic systems: a) Neurobehavioral Mechanisms of Food Intake, and b) Neurobehavioral Mechanisms of Pain Inhibition. These studies involved different evolving themes over the years that can be summarized into the following major categories with peer-reviewed publications. In the study of Neurobehavioral Mechanisms of Food Intake, the following themes have been examined: i) Pharmacology and Neuroanatomy of Conditioned Flavor Preferences, ii) Genetic Variance in Ingestive Responses, iii) Molecular Opioid Manipulations and Ingestive Behavior, iv) Neuroanatomical Mapping Studies of Opioid-induced Feeding, and v) Opioid Receptor Subtypes and Ingestive Behavior. In the study of [Neurobehavioral Mechanisms of Pain Inhibition], the following themes have been examined: i) Sex Differences in Opioid-Induced Analgesia, ii) Neuroanatomical Mapping Studies of Opioid-Induced Analgesia, iii) Stress-induced Analgesia, and iv) Non-Opioid Analgesic Responses. Since 2002, I have written the Endogenous Opioids and Behavior Annual Reviews which covers all of the peer-reviewed articles in the field for the previous year as well as providing Other Invited Reviews and Book Chapters.

To accomplish all of this work, I have been fortunate to have had a great number of talented doctoral, masters and undergraduate students working with me. The Bodnar lab has produced 37 PhD dissertations, 10 Masters theses and 97 undergraduates have worked and appeared on the above publications. It has published over 320 peer-reviewed articles, reviews and chapters and has presented almost 260 abstracts at national meetings. It has received support from NIH, NSF, pharmaceutical companies and PSC/CUNY Collaborative and small grants.

Recent Publications

  1. Bodnar, RJ. Endogenous opiates and behavior: 2019. Peptides 141: 170547, 2021.
  2. Fazilov, G, M Shenouda, A Buras, B Iskhakov, D Bhattacharjee, P Dohnalova, J Iskhakova, FR Bourie and RJ Bodnar. Acquisition and expression of sucrose conditioned flavor preferences following dopamine D1, opioid and NMDA receptor antagonism in C57BL/6 mice. Nutritional Neurosci 23: 672-678, 2020. (accepted, Nov 22: 1-7, 2018: https://doi.org/10.1080/1028415x.2018.1544333).
  3. Bodnar, RJ. Endogenous opiates and behavior: 2018. Peptides 132: 170348, 2020.
  4. Mustac T, A Yuabov, J Macanian, S Aminov, E Ben Lulu, D Fazylov, M Nashed, A Albakry, B Jean-Philippe-Morriset and RJ Bodnar. Acute d-fenfluramine, but not fluoxetine decreases sweet intake in BALB/c, C57BL/6 and SWR inbred mouse strains. Physiol Behav 224: 113029,
  5. Bodnar, RJ. Editorial: 2018 Gayle A. Olson and Richard D. Olson Prize: Vladimir A. Kashkin. Peptides 126: 170252, 2020.
  6. Bodnar, RJ. Endogenous opiates and behavior: 2017. Peptides 120: 170223, 2020.
  7. Iskhakov B, P Dohnalova, J Iskhakova, T Mustac, A Yuabov, J Macanian, E Israel, N Locurto, N Franz, G Fazilov, M Shenouda and RJ Bodnar. Murine genetic variance in muscarinic receptor antagonism of acquisition and expression of fat-conditioned flavor preferences in three inbred mouse strains. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 187: 172792, 2019.
  8. Bodnar, RJ. Guest Editor, Special Issue on Opioid Addiction. Peptides 116: 68-70, 2019.
  9. Bodnar, RJ. Endogenous opioid modulation of food intake and body weight: implications for opioid influences upon motivation and addiction. Peptides 116: 42-62, 2019.
  10. LaMagna, S, K Olsson, D Warshaw, G Fazilov, B Iskhakov, A Buras and RJ Bodnar. Prior exposure to nutritive or artificial sweeteners differentially alters the magnitude and persistence of sucrose-conditioned flavor preferences in BALB/c and C57BL/6 inbred mouse strains. Nutritional Neurosci 22 (10), 706-717, 2019. (Accepted: 2/7/18: https://doi.org/10.1080/1028415X.2018.1436216).