Our lab researches the neurophysiology of axonal signaling, and how axonal signal impacts the development of substance use disorders. The axon is the thinnest structure that emerges from a neuron but it can sometimes account for the vast majority of the neuronal membrane because of how long axons are. Therefore, changes to axonal physiology can have dramatic effects on the function and output of the cell. Axons are well known for propagating action potentials, but emerging research shows they can also signal actively from one axon to another and can even initiate action potentials locally, a non-canonical method for signal transmission in the nervous system as it does not involve somatodendritic processing. These recent data force us to reevaluate what roles axons can have in neuronal physiology, and open the door for future research in axonal neurobiology. Our lab will expand our understanding on this topic, together with an exploration of how nicotine and alcohol use disorders impact the function of axonal signaling and how axonal signaling impacts the development of these neurological disorders.