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Upcoming Seminars:

October 17, 2008

NIDA Director, Nora D. Volkow, M.D.

Nora D. Volkow, M.D.,
Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse


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Mission of the UTMB Center for Addiction Research

The overall mission of the UTMB Center for Addiction Research (CAR) is to promote, stimulate and support discovery and translational research in the etiology and pathophysiology of addictive processes to design targeted ways to prevent, diagnose and treat this disorder. The CAR brings to bear cutting edge technologies in molecular biology, biochemistry, behavior, pharmacology, genetics, proteomics,  and drug design to discover novel approaches to diagnose, cure or alleviate addiction and its medical complications. The objectives are: Read More        

most recent update: 06/26/2008


Job Openings

 Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunity in Addiction Science

Postdoctoral Opportunity to Study Key Mediators of Nicotine 


Nora D. Volkow, M.D., became Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (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.

Dr. Volkow was born in Mexico, attended the Modern American School, and earned her medical degree from the National University of Mexico in Mexico City, where she received the Premio Robins award for best medical student of her generation. Her psychiatric residency was at New York University, where she earned the Laughlin Fellowship Award as one of the 10 Outstanding Psychiatric Residents in the USA. Read more . .


$3.4 million boosts addiction recovery research
New therapies also may benefit compulsive eaters

OCT. 25, 2007--Men and women addicted to alcohol or drugs who want to recover but struggle with relapses may have help on the way following this month’s $3.4 million boost to support recovery-focused studies at the UTMB Center for Addiction Research. Funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse will advance ongoing research into brain serotonin systems and new therapies that may improve the long-term prospects of patient recovery.

The new research focuses on how brain serotonin systems contribute to the development of addiction and relapse. The results will provide the foundation for “personalized” therapies in addictive disorders. There may also be benefits for compulsive overeaters.  “We believe that neuronal recovery in serotonin systems will lead to behavioral recovery in addiction, and jump start a new generation of discovery for anti-addiction and potentially, anti-obesity therapeutics,” said Kathryn A. Cunningham who directs the center and is the principal investigator.  Read more


NIH Institute Supports National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month
Free Educational Materials on Substance Abuse Available

The holiday season often brings thoughts of festive times with friends and family, but the last few weeks of the year are not always happy—they also can be dangerous. The number of alcohol-related traffic crashes increases during this period, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, offers FREE information on substance abuse to consumers and educators.            to get free information 



Special Message from the Office of Science Policy & Communications

I am pleased to inform you that our Research Training Brochure has recently been updated. The brochure is a 20-page booklet that summarizes NIDA funding opportunities related to training and career development. It includes a chart and links that are helpful for career planning, and useful at all stages of career development. This updated version was debuted at this year’s CPDD meeting in Quebec City, Canada, where it was enthusiastically received. While printed copies are available upon request, and are distributed annually at the CPDD and SfN conferences, an online PDF version is immediately available for viewing and downloading (http://www.nida.nih.gov/pdf/ResearchTraining/ResearchTrainingBroch.pdf). Please share this information with your trainees, fellows, and others in your department or center who might find this brochure useful.

Mimi M Ghim, PhD

Deputy Research Training Coordinator

most recent update: 06/26/2008


Morphine lingers in brain

Study shows effects stayed with rats for at least 24 hours, could explain addiction
Bloomberg News, May 6, 2007

 

 

Dr. Jose Moron-Concepcion