Addictive Disease
Addictive disease is a pervasive and growing problem
in US society. It contributes to the dissemination of
AIDS and other diseases, and costs the nation more than
$116 billion per year for health care, lost work productivity,
and early death. An estimated $11.7 billion a year is
spent on the government's "War on Drugs."
While it has always been considered to be an insidious
social problem, addictive disease is now known to have
strong biological underpinnings. Within the Graduate
Program in Neuroscience one-fourth of faculty members
are actively engaged in the basic and clinical aspects
of addictive disease research.
Their work investigates the effects of alcohol, cocaine,
nicotine, and opiates on the immune and nervous systems,
and the neurobiological underpinnings of drug addition,
overeating, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Graduate
students receive research experience and coursework
through individual research grants and NIH-sponsored
training programs, including Neuroscience Training in
Drug Abuse, Neurobiological Pharmacology, Psychoneuroimmunology
and Substance Abuse Training.
Through these initiatives, students receive training
in addictive disease biology at molecular, cellular,
organismal, behavioral, and clinical levels.
Graduate
Program Students
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