Neuroscience of Addiction
August 9 - 15, 2023

Key Dates
Application Deadline:  April 24, 2023
Arrival: August 8th by 6pm EST
Departure: August 15th around 12pm EST

The course will be held at the Laboratory's Banbury Conference Center located on the north shore of Long Island. All participants stay within walking distance of the Center.  CSHL Courses are intensive, running all day and often including evenings and weekends; students are expected to attend all sessions and reside on campus for the duration of the course.

COVID-19: All participants planning to attend in-person will be required to attest to COVID vaccination with an FDA or WHO approved vaccine. Additional safety measures will be in line with current NY and Federal Guidelines applicable in Summer 2023.

Instructors:
David Belin, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom 
Christopher Evans, University of California, Los Angeles
Hedy Kober, Yale University
Mark Von Zastrow, University of California San Francisco

See the roll of honor - who's taken the course in the past

Drug addiction is the most costly neuropsychiatric disorder faced by our nation. Acute and repeated exposure to drugs produces neuroadaptation 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, relapse to drug use and general brain function.

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
  • Relevance of genotype to susceptibility and drug response
  • Tolerance and adaptation at the cellular level
  • 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.

This 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.

2023 Speakers:

Matthew Banghart, University of California, San Diego
Joseph Cheer, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Peter Kalivas, Medical University of South Carolina
Paul Kenny, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Mary Kay Lobo, UCLA
David Lovinger, NIH
Flor Marisela Morales, National Institut on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Jose Moron Concepcion, Washington University in St Louis
Rohan Palmer, Emory University
Marina Picciotto, Yale University
Dorit Ron, University of California, San Francisco
Kate Wassum, University of California


This course has previously been supported with funds provided by: US National Institute of Drug Abuse. Grant#  5 R13 DA019791. The 2023 course is supported with program funds courtesy of the Helmsley Charitable Trust and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. 

Scholarship funds are available for partial support of tuition, room and board on a merit basis. Please apply in writing when you apply stating the need for financial aid.

Cost (including board and lodging): $2,865

Before applying, ensure you have:
  1. Personal statement/essay;
  2. Letter(s) of recommendation;
  3. Curriculum vitae/resume (optional);
  4. Financial aid request (optional).
    More details.

If you are not ready to fully apply but wish to express interest in applying, receive a reminder two weeks prior to the deadline, and tell us about your financial aid requirements, click below: