About

Dr. Mustafa al’Absi is a Professor of Behavioral Medicine and holds the Max E. and Mary LaDue Pickworth Chair at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He serves as the director of the Behavioral Medicine Laboratories at both the Duluth and Minneapolis campuses and is the Director of the Duluth Global Health Research Institute (DGHRI). His academic background includes undergraduate studies at Cairo University and a doctorate from the University of Oklahoma in biological and clinical psychology, specializing in behavioral medicine and psychophysiology. Dr. al’Absi founded the Behavioral Medicine Laboratories in 1998 to investigate the biobehavioral mechanisms linking stress, trauma, and early adversity to addiction, mental health conditions, and appetite regulation, with the goal of developing tailored interventions. His research integrates laboratory, clinical, and real-world methods, focusing on the biological and psychophysiological effects of stress on addictive behaviors and mental health. He has made significant contributions to understanding stress response mechanisms, including the role of endogenous opioids and the endocannabinoid system, and has pioneered the development of high-tech, unobtrusive methods for real-time stress and substance use assessment. His work has been funded by multiple national grants, and he has received numerous honors for his research, including awards from NIDA, AHA, and the American Psychosomatic Society. Dr. al’Absi has authored over 220 scientific articles, two books, and many book chapters, and he actively contributes to the scientific community through editorial roles and service on review panels.

Selected publications

• ‘Since people who have mental illness are stigmatised, their service is also stigmatised. You get a massive hospital building and there is no mental health facility’: exploring perceptions of mental health, stigma of mental illness, care-seeking and service use in the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia

  BJPsych Open · 2026-04-13

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: There are few mental health services in the Somali Regional State (SRS) of Ethiopia, and many people with mental health conditions turn to traditional healing. Also, little is known about perspectives on mental ill health and care in this sociocultural context. AIMS: The study explores the experiences and manifestations of mental health-related stigma in the SRS, to inform the development of mental healthcare systems. METHOD: We conducted 16 semi-structured interviews with health workers, aspirational leaders, users of mental health services and carers in Jigjiga and Kabridahar, two cities in the SRS, between April and July 2024. Translated transcripts were imported into NVIVO version 14 for coding and were then analysed using the thematic analysis method. We identified three main themes: (a) mental health stigma, (b) societal neglect and (c) misunderstanding of mental ill health. RESULTS: Participants suggested that most people in the SRS view mental health in binary terms, in which a person is either 'mad' or sane; a corollary is that only severe conditions with overt behavioural manifestations were viewed as mental illness. Most people viewed mental health conditions as having spiritual causes. Mental health stigma was reportedly widespread and severe. These barriers contribute to care-seeking that is delayed and initially focused on faith-based providers. CONCLUSIONS: Any intervention to improve the provision of mental health services and the development of mental health systems must take into account the perspectives of service users and carers, and address the widespread stigma and lack of knowledge around mental illness.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Nutrition Status and Associated Risk Factors Among Children in Orphanages in Sanaa, Yemen

  Queen Arwa University Journal · 2025-07-31

  articleOpen access

  هدفت هذه الدراسة الى تقييم الحالة التغذوية وعوامل الخطر المرتبطة بها بين الأطفال الأيتام الذين يعيشون في دار الأيتام (دار الشوكاني ودار الأيتام) في صنعاء، اليمن. تم اختيار عينة عشوائية من 200 طفل لتقييم انتشار التقزم ونقص الوزن، بالإضافة إلى العوامل الديموغرافية والغذائية والنظافة الشخصية المرتبطة بها. وجدت الدراسة أن 37.5٪ من الأطفال يعانون من التقزم و 47.0٪ يعانون من نقص الوزن. ارتبطت النظافة الشخصية بشكل كبير بحالة نقص الوزن، في حين لم يؤثر الغذاء المأخوذ مع الطاقة المحسوبة بشكل كبير على انتشار نقص الوزن. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، لم تكن عوامل مثل سبب إقامة الطفل في دار الأيتام وفقدان الوالدين والعمر مرتبطة بشكل كبير بحالة التقزم أو نقص الوزن. لم يُظهر نوع دار الأيتام ارتباطًا كبيرًا بأي من الحالتين. تسلط هذه النتائج الضوء على الطبيعة المعقدة لسوء التغذية في دور الأيتام وتشير إلى أن النظافة الشخصية قد تلعب دورًا رئيسيًا في حالة نقص الوزن بين الأطفال في دور الأيتام. نوصي بالاهتمام بدور الايتام من قبل الجهات الحكومية ومنظمات المجتمع المدني من اجل توفير الاحتياجات التغذوية وكذلك توفير مواد النظافة الشخصية للقاطنين في دور الايتام.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Effects of opioid blockade on taste perception across smoking status: an analysis of detection thresholds, intensity, and pleasantness

  Journal of Neural Transmission · 2025-09-01

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  The endogenous opioid system (EOS) is a neuromodulator of taste, and nicotine can modify both EOS signaling and taste perception. Understanding how nicotine interacts with EOS-driven taste perception is important for dietary guidance and smoking-cessation strategies. In this study, we tested whether opioid blockade with naltrexone vs. placebo differentially affects taste thresholds, intensity, and pleasantness in non-smokers, ad-lib smokers, and smokers in short-term withdrawal. A mixed factorial design was used; with drug (placebo vs. naltrexone) as a within-subject factor and smoking status (non-smoker, ad-lib smoker, withdrawal/abstaining) as a between-subjects factor. Each participant attended two sessions, receiving a placebo in one session and naltrexone in the other (counterbalanced). During each session participants completed (1) a sweet and bitter detection threshold test, and (2) suprathreshold intensity and pleasantness ratings for sweet, salty, sour, umami, and water. Results indicated that neither sweet nor bitter detection thresholds differed by drug or smoking groups. Among ad-lib smokers, however, suprathreshold intensity for sweet, salty, and sour tastes was significantly decreased under naltrexone vs. placebo, whereas pleasantness ratings remained unchanged. No drug effect on either intensity or pleasantness was observed in non-smokers and withdrawal smokers. The study’s results indicate a nicotine-related interaction with the EOS that reduces sensory gain but does not impact hedonic evaluation regarding taste perception

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Enduring Effects of Early Life Adversity on the Dysregulation of the Stress Awakening Response Among Dependent Tobacco Users

  Nicotine & Tobacco Research · 2025-02-25 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  INTRODUCTION: Adults with early life adversity (ELA) often exhibit stress system dysregulation and are prone to smoke for stress relief. This study, conducted as part of a larger project examining psychobiological stress responses in smokers, specifically focuses on the a priori research question of how ELA influences the cortisol awakening response (CAR) during acute tobacco withdrawal. AIMS AND METHODS: Using quasi-experimental design, adult daily (heavy) smokers were randomly assigned to either regular smoking (ad-lib) (N = 37) or 24-hour withdrawal (N = 55), and categorized into low or high ELA. Carbon monoxide levels verified smoking status, and CAR was assessed through salivary cortisol upon awakening and at 30 and 60 post-wakening. CAR was evaluated using mean cortisol levels, peak reactivity, and area under the curve with respect to increase (AUCi) and area under the curve with respect to ground while controlling for possible covariates. Self-reported measures of mood, craving, and withdrawal were also analyzed. RESULTS: Smoking status X ELA interaction on peak cortisol and AUCi. High ELA ad-lib smokers (versus high ELA withdrawal) had elevated peak and AUCi levels and were higher than low ELA ad-lib smokers with respect to peak (ps < .05). Withdrawal (versus ad-lib smokers) had lower positive affect and higher negative affect, craving, and withdrawal (ps < .05). Adult smokers with a history of ELA exhibit heightened stress response dysregulation, as evidenced by altered CAR, compared to those without ELA or in smoking withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that ELA significantly exacerbates stress system dysregulation among adult smokers, as evidenced by alterations in the CAR. IMPLICATIONS: Findings from this study suggest ELA not only leads to an earlier initiation of smoking but also worsens stress system dysregulation in adult smokers. These insights highlight the importance of developing early prevention strategies aimed at adolescents with ELA to prevent smoking initiation and reduce its impact on stress regulation. Additionally, the findings support the need for customized, trauma-informed smoking cessation programs for adults with ELA, emphasizing the necessity to address the distinct challenges related to stress regulation and nicotine withdrawal they face.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Impact of nicotine, cannabis, co-use and non-use on single day morning and evening cortisol and subjective state: During ambulatory assessment

  Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2025-08-05 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Mediating Role of Delay Discounting in the Link Between Depressive Symptoms and Diabetes Onset: Findings from a Prospective Survey of a Community Sample

  International Journal of Behavioral Medicine · 2025-02-26 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Stress across systems and lifespan: emerging biomarkers and mechanisms of resilience

  Journal of Neural Transmission · 2025-09-01

  editorialOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Impacts of endogenous opioid blockade and sex on working memory among ad-libitum and abstinent smokers and non-smokers

  Addiction Neuroscience · 2024-09-26 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Research examining the effects of opioid receptor antagonists on working memory is limited by small sample sizes that are often comprised of only male participants. Moreover, they have yielded mixed findings, and no studies have examined such effects in the context of chronic nicotine use and temporary nicotine withdrawal. Male and female participants completed two lab visits at which they were administered either 50 mg naltrexone or an identical placebo (one at each lab using double-blind, counterbalanced administration). After a medication absorption period, performance on a mental arithmetic (working memory) task was assessed by number of correct responses, errors, and number of attempts. Participants were either non-smokers or regular smokers who were randomly assigned to use nicotine ad-libitum or to abstain from nicotine for 24 h prior to both lab visits. The results indicate a significant main effect of opioid blockade on number of correct answers and accuracy rate during the mental arithmetic task, with poorer performance after opioid blockade compared to placebo. In addition, compared to male participants, female participants made fewer answer attempts, had fewer correct answers, and a lower accuracy rate. We did not find evidence of any differences based on smoking group (non-smoker, smoking abstinence, or ad-libitum smoking), nor were there any significant interaction effects. The findings suggest a modulating role of the endogenous opioid system in working memory function. Further investigation is needed to help identify the underlying mechanisms explaining the effects of the endogenous opioid system on working memory.

  PublisherDOI

• A remote examination of acute stress responses: examining the influence of psychological resilience

  Journal of Behavioral Medicine · 2024-12-31

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Patterns of adaptation to stress cardiovascular responses in smokers during ad libitum smoking and withdrawal

  2024-07-19

  preprintSenior author

  There is considerable evidence documenting associations between tobacco smoking, including initiation, maintenance, and relapse of addiction, with diminished cardiovascular responses to acute psychological stress. However, less is known about how smokers respond to repeated stress across time. The current study examined patterns of cardiovascular reactivity and adaptation to recurrent stress among abstinent smokers, smokers who continued to smoke at their normal rate, and non-smokers. Smokers were randomly assigned to one of two conditions; ad libitum (n = 42), or 24h abstinence (n = 61); and non-smokers (n = 43) provided comparative referencing. Across the two laboratory sessions, participants (n = 149) were asked to complete a modified version of the trier social stress test (TSST), while monitoring systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate activity. Results showed that while non-smokers had elevated cardiovascular reactivity to begin with, they showed a greater capacity to habituate to recurrent stress across sessions. The data also suggest that smokers displayed attenuated cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress and showed little habituation to repeated stress. In adjusted models, smokers exhibited less systolic blood pressure tolerance to stress. This poorer response profile in smokers may be a potential mechanism that leads to further cardiotoxic effects on health. Key words: Smoking, cardiovascular reactivity, habituation, stress

  PublisherDOI

Awards & honors

• ABMR Neal E. Miller Award
• American Psychosomatic Society Herbert Weiner Award
• NIDA Award of Excellence in Collaborative Research
• Hans Selye Lectureship from WASAD