Drug addiction is the most costly neuropsychiatric disorder faced by our nation. Acute and repeated exposure to drugs produces neuroadaption and long-term memory of the experience, but the cellular and molecular processes involved are only partially understood. The primary objective of the proposed workshop is to provide an intense dialogue of the fundamentals, state-of-the-art advances and major gaps in the cell and molecular biology of drug addiction.Targeted to new or experienced investigators, the workshop will combine formal presentations and informal discussions to convey the merits and excitement of cellular and molecular approaches to drug addiction research. With the advent of genomics and proteomics, an extraordinary opportunity now exists to develop comprehensive models of neuroadaptative processes fundamental to addiction, withdrawal, craving, and relapse to drug use and to brain function, in general. A range of disciplines and topics will be represented, including noninvasive brain imaging to identify drug targets and adaptive processes; neuroadaptative processes at the molecular and cellular level, neural networks and their modulation, the relevance of genotype to susceptibility and drug response; tolerance and adaptation at the cellular level and approaches to exploiting the daunting volume generated by neuroinformatics. This workshop will provide an integrated view of current and novel research on neuroadaptive responses to addiction, foster discussion on collaboration and integration, provide critical information needed to construct a model of addiction as a disease and novel molecular targets for biological treatments. Beyond the plane of scientific endeavor, the information is vital for formulating public policy and for enlightening the public on the neurobiological consequences of drug use and addiction. The workshop is designed to generate interest in this level of analysis, open conduits for collaborations and present novel routes to investigating the neurobiology of addictive drugs.
2016 Speakers:
Benjamin Boutrel, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Jeff Dalley, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Karen Ersche, Cambridge Neuroscience, United Kingdom
Barry Everitt, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
David Goldman, NIAAA, Rockville, MD
Paul Kenny, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY
George Koob, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
Rafael Maldonado, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, SPAIN
Barbara Mason, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
Marina Picciotto, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Gunter Schumann, King's College London, United Kingdom
Rainer Spanagel, University of Heidelberg, GERMANY
Mark Ungless, Imperial College-London, United Kingdom
The course will be held at Gonville & Caius College, University of Cambridge, UK. All participants stay within walking distance of the Stephen Hawking Building where the lectures will be held, and in close proximity to Gonville & Caius Old Courts and the center of Cambridge.
We anticipate this course will be partially supported with funds provided by the US National Institute of Drug Abuse
Stipends and financial aid are available - see above
Cost (including board and lodging): $2,600 (payable to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
This button links to a short form which confirms your interest in the course. No fees are due until you have completed the full application process and are accepted into the course.
Students accepted into the course should plan to arrive on the evening of July 31, and depart by lunchtime on August 7