Substance Use Disorder (addiction) is widespread, costly, and difficult to treat; it also is one of society’s most challenging health and social issues. How does a seemingly unstoppable demand for consuming alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, heroin, or prescription pain medications develop in some people? Is this evidence of a moral failure or a deep-seated biological drive run amok? We will address these questions and others related to the origins of substance abuse, as well as the novel therapeutic approaches being explored by the University of Minnesota’s Medical Discovery Team on Addiction. Led by Dr. Mark Thomas and funded by the Minnesota State Legislature, the team of more than 60 faculty engages in cross-disciplinary, collaborative, biomedical research in order to discover effective biology-based treatments for Substance Use Disorders.
Offered in cooperation with the Department of Neuroscience, the Medical Discovery Team on Addiction and the Center for Neural Circuits in Addiction.
