| News Advisory
NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow to Speak
about Addiction at World Psychiatric Association Conference
in Shanghai, China |
|
Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National
Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes
of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, will speak at
the 2007 World Psychiatric (WPA) Regional Meeting &anp Chinese
Society of Psychiatry (CSP) Annual Congress in Shanghai in
September. The meeting will provide a special opportunity
to discuss some of the most important topics of the psychiatric
field within an international framework. Such topics will
cover forensic psychiatry, clinical diagnosis, approaches
to care, and cultural issues. |
| Who: |
Dr. Nora D. Volkow
Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse |
| What: |
Scientific Presentation on Drug Addiction
in Shanghai entitled "The Neurobiology of Free Will
in Addictive Disorders" |
| When: |
Friday, September 21, 2007
9:30-11:30 a.m. |
| Where: |
Shanghai International Convention Center,
Grand Ballroom
Shanghai, China |
| Background: |
Nora D. Volkow, M.D., became the director
of NIDA at the National Institutes of Health in May 2003.
NIDA supports most of the world’s research on the health
aspects of drug abuse and addiction. Dr. Volkow’s work has
been instrumental in demonstrating that drug addiction is
a disease of the human brain. As a research psychiatrist
and scientist, Dr. Volkow pioneered the use of brain imaging
to investigate the toxic effects of drugs and their addictive
properties. Her studies have documented changes in the dopamine
system affecting the actions of frontal brain regions involved
with motivation, drive, and pleasure and the decline of brain
dopamine function with age. She has also made important contributions
to the neurobiology of obesity, ADHD, and the behavioral
changes that occur with aging.
The WPA is an association of psychiatric societies aimed
to increase knowledge and skills necessary for work in the
field of mental health and the care for the mentally ill.
Its member societies are presently 130, spanning 113 different
countries and representing more than 180,000 psychiatrists.
The WPA organizes international and regional congresses and
meetings, and thematic conferences. It has 65 scientific
sections, aimed to disseminate information and promote collaborative
work in specific domains of psychiatry. Further information
on the WPA can be found on the website www.wpanet.org. |
| Contact: |
To schedule an interview with Dr. Nora Volkow,
please call Sharan Jayne in the NIDA offices at 301-594-6141
or 202-365-5646. |
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 most of the world’s research on the health aspects
of drug abuse and addiction. The Institute carries out a large
variety of programs to inform policy and improve 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 www.drugabuse.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and
Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting
and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and
its programs, visit www.nih.gov. |
