Dr. Rusty Nall - Psychology

Assistant Professor
200.L Ayers Hall
256-782-8442
rnall@jsu.edu

As an Alabama native and JSU graduate, Dr. Nall was excited to return to Jax State after completing a PhD in experimental psychology (Utah State University) and conducting postdoctoral research in addiction neuroscience (Medical University of South Carolina). In his research, Dr. Nall uses translational animal models to understand and reduce environmental and neurobiological contributors to persistence and relapse of undesirable behaviors (e.g., substance use, aggressive behavior). Common techniques in his work are operant and respondent conditioning, mathematical modeling, and, less-frequently, rodent surgery, microscopy, and in-vivo neurobiological assays. With others in the psychology department, Dr. Nall established the Behavior Analytic Rodent Research (BARR) lab at Jax State, offering students the opportunity to collaborate on research projects and learn about behavioral principles using live animals. For more information about the BARR, including current research topics, representative publications, and current members, send Dr. Nall an email. In addition to research and teaching, Dr. Nall regularly attends academic conferences, reviews for psychology journals, serves on the Jax State Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, mentors students through research and instructional practica, and serves as a faculty sponsor for the Jax State Cycling Club.

Courses Taught

PSY 201 – Principles of Psychology
PSY 220 – Principles of Behavior Analysis
PSY 221 – Behavior Analysis Lab
PSY 407 – Brain & Behavior
PSY 436 – Drugs, Society, & Human Behavior
PSY 444 – Conditioning & Learning
PSY 551 – Seminar in Contemporary Topics
PSY 538 – Experimental Analysis of Behavior

Education

B.S., Psychology, Jacksonville State University, 2013
Ph.D., Psychology, Utah State University, 2019
Postdoctoral, Addiction Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 2021

Publications and Presentations

Peer-Reviewed Publications (updated 2024)

King, H. C., Nall, R. W., Hagopian, L. P., Falligant, J. M. (2024). Extending a Matching-Law Based Account of Extinction Bursts to Humans [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Behavioural Processes.
Craig, A. R., Smith, S. W., Nall, R. W., Sullivan, W. E., & Roane, H. S. (In Press). Abstinence as Choice: Exploring Voluntary Abstinence from Alcohol Self-Administration Using the Resurgence as Choice Framework. Perspectives on Behavior Science.
Falligant, J. M., Cero, I., King, H., Spink, C., Hagopian, L. P., & Nall, R. W. (2024). Temporal Dynamics in Extinction-Induced Behavior: A Human-Operant Analysis [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Bulletin.
Kuhn, B. N., Canella, N., Crow, A., Lunerti, V., Gupta, A., Waterhouse, S. J., Allen, C., Chalhoub, R. M., Dereshewitz, E., Roberts, A. T., Cockerham, M., Beeson, A., Nall, R. W., Palmer, A. A., Hardiman, G., Solberg Woods, L. C., Chung, D., Ciccocioppo, R., Kalivas, P. K. (In Press). A multi-symptomatic model of heroin use disorder in rats reveals distinct behavioral profiles and neuronal correlates of heroin vulnerability versus resiliency. American Journal of Psychiatry.
Nall, R. W., Chalhoub, R. M., & Kalivas, P. W. (2022). Drug versus non‐drug behaviors: A dual‐reward model of sex differences and neurobiological mechanisms in rats. Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 117(3), 457-471.
Nall, R. W., Beloate, L. N., Meyerink, M. E., Penaloza, T., Doolittle, J., Froeliger, B., ... & Garcia‐Keller, C. (2022). Assessing combined effects of varenicline and N‐acetylcysteine on reducing nicotine seeking in rats. Addiction biology, 27(2), e13151.
Sutton, G. M., Nist, A. N., Nall, R. W., Browning, K. O., & Shahan, T. A. (2021). Resurgence of alcohol seeking following abstinence induced by punishment in male and female rats. Behavioural brain research, 410, 113345.
Nall, R. W., Heinsbroek, J. A., Nentwig, T. B., Kalivas, P. W., & Bobadilla, A. C. (2021). Circuit selectivity in drug versus natural reward seeking behaviors. Journal of neurochemistry, 157(5), 1450-1472.
Nall, R. W., & Shahan, T. A. (2020). Resurgence of punishment-suppressed cocaine seeking in rats. Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology, 28(3), 365.
Shahan, T. A., Browning, K. O., & Nall, R. W. (2020). Resurgence as Choice in Context: Treatment duration and on/off alternative reinforcement. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 113(1), 57-76.
Nall, R. W., Rung, J. M., & Shahan, T. A. (2019). Resurgence of a target behavior suppressed by a combination of punishment and alternative reinforcement. Behavioural processes, 162, 177-183.
Frye, C. C., Rung, J. M., Nall, R. W., Galizio, A., Haynes, J. M., & Odum, A. L. (2018). Continuous nicotine exposure does not affect resurgence of alcohol seeking in rats. PloS one, 13(8), e0202230.
Nall, R. W., Craig, A. R., Browning, K. O., & Shahan, T. A. (2018). Longer treatment with alternative non-drug reinforcement fails to reduce resurgence of cocaine or alcohol seeking in rats. Behavioural Brain Research, 341, 54-62.
Craig, A. R., Browning, K. O., Nall, R. W., Marshall, C. M., & Shahan, T. A. (2017). Resurgence and alternative‐reinforcer magnitude. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 107(2), 218-233.
Craig, A. R., Nall, R. W., Madden, G. J., & Shahan, T. A. (2016). Higher rate alternative non-drug reinforcement produces faster suppression of cocaine seeking but more resurgence when removed. Behavioural Brain Research, 306, 48-51.

Textbook Chapters

Nall, R. W., Fahmie, T., Zangrillo, A. N. (2024). Punishment. In A. R. Craig, V. Saini, J. Ringdahl, H. Roane (Eds.)(2024), Behavior Analysis: Translational perspectives and clinical practice (pp. 216-238). Guilford Press.

Recent Posters and Presentations

Bridges, M.E., Mostillo, J.N., Sheffield, R.L. Jr., & Nall, R.W. (2024). Relapse Magnitudes of Food Seeking in Rats: Reinstatement, Renewal, Resurgence, and Their Combinations. Symposium conducted at the 50th annual meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Mostillo, J.N., Bridges, M.E., & Nall, R.W. (2023). An exploration of magnitude differences between renewal, resurgence, & reinstatement. Poster presented at the 31st annual meeting of the Alabama Association for Behavior Analysis, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Nall, R. W. (Discussant; 2022), 48th Annual Convention of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, Resurgence Across Species, Emphasis Areas, and Time. Symposium conducted at 48th annual meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, Boston, MA.
Sutton, G.M., Nist, A.N., Browning, K., Nall, R.W., & Shahan, T.A. (2021). Resurgence of Punishment Suppressed Alcohol Seeking in Rats. Symposium conducted at the 47th annual meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, Virtual
Chalhoub, R., Garcia-Keller, C., Nall, R.W., Heinsbroek, J., Bobadilla, A. C., & Kalivas, P. (2020). Cell-Type Specific Encoding of Cocaine-Seeking and Refraining from Seeking in the Nucleus Accumbens Core. Symposium Conducted at the 59^th annual meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. Abstract available in Neuropsychopharmacology (Vol. 45, No. SUPPL 1, pp. 372-373).
Nall, R. W. & Shahan, T. A. (2019). The Effects of Multiple Concurrent Schedules on Resurgence of Food Seeking in Rats. In Y. Shaham (Chair), Research Examining Strategies to Mitigate Resurgence. Symposium conducted at the 45th annual meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis, International, Chicago, IL.
Browning, K. O., Nall, R. W., & Shahan, T. A. (2019). The Effects of Treatment Duration on Resurgence Using Resurgence as Choice Theory. In A. Furhman (Chair), Treatment Duration and Resurgence. Symposium conducted at the 45th annual meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis, International, Chicago, IL.

Other Responsibilities

Co-Director, Behavior Analytic Rodent Research Lab
Member, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee