NIDA Sponsors Frontiers in Addiction Research Mini-Convention in Conjunction With Annual Society for Neuroscience Meeting in San Diego
Symposium To Focus on Neurobiology of Addiction
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes
of Health, will sponsor a NIDA mini-convention, Frontiers In Addiction
Research, on Friday, October 22, 2004, in conjunction with
the 34th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN), at
the San Diego Convention Center.
Frontiers in Addiction Research will bring together
outstanding scientists from a wide array of research disciplines
to share advances and discuss future directions in the neuroscience
of drug abuse and addiction. The symposium, which coincides with
NIDA's 30th anniversary, includes 20 speakers and 72 poster presentations,
will run from 8:00 a.m. to 9:15 p.m.
"NIDA-supported research forms an integral part of the field
of neuroscience," says NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow. "Over
the past 30 years, thousands of NIDA-supported scientists have helped
replace myths about drug abuse with scientific understanding of the
true nature of drug addiction. Many of the discoveries discussed at
this meeting hold great promise for treating and preventing drug abuse,
addiction, and their health and social consequences."
Oral presentations will be in Room 30; posters can be viewed in
Room 29. The schedule is:
8:00 a.m. to 8:10 a.m. — Introductory remarks from Dr. Timothy
P. Condon, NIDA Deputy Director.
8:10 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. — Behavioral Neuroscience of Nicotine
Addiction. The topic areas of this session highlight a range of
research, including motivationally positive and negative aspects
of nicotine, identifying the nicotine receptor in the human brain,
and dopamine-based and nondopamine reward pathways. The NIDA co-chairs
are Dr. William Corrigall and Dr. Paul Schnur.
10:30 a.m. to 12:35 p.m. — Creative Directions in Imaging.
Functional biomedical imaging modalities have evolved into powerful
tools in drug-abuse research. This session will present examples
of imaging research that are now possible. The NIDA co-chairs are
Dr. Thomas Aigner, Dr. Steven Grant, and Dr. Nathan Appel.
12:35 p.m. to 2:35 p.m. — Young Investigators Poster Session.
Speakers from the symposium and NIDA staff will be present. The
NIDA chair is Dr. Susan Volman.
2:35 p.m. to 4:40 p.m. — Mechanisms of Brain Resiliency and
Repair. Information presented here will relate neural injuries induced
by drug abuse to the innate power of cells in the central nervous
system to repair themselves and regenerate connections. Presentations
also will address interventions to enhance repair and neuronal plasticity.
The NIDA co-chairs are Dr. Jerry Frankenheim, Dr. Nancy Pilotte,
Dr. Geraline Lin, and Dr. Yu ("Woody") Lin.
4:55 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. — The Role of Glutamate in Drug Addiction.
This session will review how mechanisms associated with this chemical
messenger in the brain contribute to and interact with other neurobiological
processes and substrates to influence various aspects of drug abuse
and addiction. The NIDA co-chairs are Dr. David Shurtleff and Dr.
Minda Lynch.
7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. — Networking session (in room 29).
8:15 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. — Keynote Speaker: Jacob P. Waletzky
Award Recipient. The Jacob P. Waletzky Memorial Award for Innovative
Research in Drug Abuse and Alcoholism was established in memory
of writer Jacob Waletzky, who died at age 29 of cocaine-induced
cardiac arrhythmia after relapsing to cocaine use. Waletzky's parents,
psychiatrists active in drug abuse treatment, formed a memorial
foundation that established the $25,000 award. The goal of the Waletzky
Award is to encourage innovative research into the neurobiology
of drug addiction and alcoholism. This year's recipient will
be announced at this event. The NIDA chair is NIDA Deputy Director
Dr. Timothy P. Condon.
For more information on this NIDA event, call Michelle Person or
Blair Gately in the NIDA Press Office at 301-443-6245.
The Society for Neuroscience press room will be open Saturday, October
23 to Wednesday, October 27, from 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will be
located in Room 15A of the San Diego Convention Center.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a component of the
National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. NIDA supports more than 85 percent of the world's
research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction. The
Institute carries out a large variety of programs to ensure the
rapid dissemination of research information and its implementation
in policy and practice. Fact sheets on the health effects of drugs
of abuse and information on NIDA research and other activities can
be found on the NIDA home page at http://www.drugabuse.gov.
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