Raul currently conducts his research in the HIV and Addictions Neuroscience Laboratory and provides clinical services in English and Spanish to adults at the Neuropsychology Service.

Raul currently has funding from NIDA to examine neurocognitive effects of polysubstance use and HIV on non-declarative memory, and he is in the process of developing a line of research that will look at various factors that predict cannabis dependence among adolescents and young adults.

Research Interests:
1) The effects of cannabis and other illicit substances (methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin, alone or in combination) on neurocognitive functioning
2) Effects of HIV (and interactions with substance use) on neurocognitive functions
3) The role of neurocognitive functioning in predicting risky behaviors (i.e., addiction, risky and sexual drug use practices)
4) Understanding the interrelationships of specific neurocognitive functions, primarily those subserved by prefrontal-striatal circuits (e.g., working memory, decision making, non-declarative memory)
5) Understanding how neurocognitive functioning affects the success of interventions aimed at reducing risky behaviors

Representative Publications

Gonzalez, R., Martin, E.M., & Grant, I. (2006) Cannabis: Brain & Behavior. In Kalechstein, A. & Van Gorp, W. (eds.). Neuropsychology and Substance Misuse: State of the Art and Future Directions. Psychology Press.

Gonzalez, R., Bechara, A., Martin, E.M. (in press) Executive functions among individuals with methamphetamine or alcohol as drugs of choice: Preliminary observations. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology.

Gonzalez, R., Vassileva, J., Bechara, A., Grebesic, S., Sworowski, L., Novak, R.M., Nunnally, G., & Martin, E.M. (2005). The influence of executive functions, sensation seeking, and HIV serostatus on the risky sexual practices of substance dependent individuals. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society,11, 1 - 11.

Gonzalez, R., Rippeth, J.D., Carey, C.L., Heaton, R.K., Moore, D.J., Schweinsburg, B.C., Cherner, M., & Grant, I. (2004). Neurocognitive performance of methamphetamine users discordant for history of marijuana exposure. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 76, 181 - 190.

Grant, I., Gonzalez, R., Carey, C., Wolfson, T., & Natarajan, L. (2003). Non-acute (residual) neurocognitive consequences of marijuana: A meta-analytic study. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 9, 679 - 689.

Gonzalez, R., Carey, C., Grant, I. (2002). Nonacute (residual) neuropsychological effects of cannabis use: A qualitative analysis and systematic review. Journal of Clinical Pharmacology,42, 48S - 57S.