One of the keys to understanding the actions of drugs of abuse is a systematic study of the neurobiological basis of drug abuse. To be effective, such studies must involve multi-disciplinary approaches at several different levels of brain function. This is the goal of the current application, which proposes to continue a successful NIDA training program, the Neuroscience of Drug Abuse Training Program at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. This program trains both predoctoral and postdoctoral students in a multi-disciplinary program in the neurobiology of drug abuse. The program consists of 16 faculty members of several Departments at Wake Forest, with a joint faculty member at North Carolina Central University, with research interests including molecular biology, receptor pharmacology, brain imaging techniques, electrophysiology, and behavioral analysis of drug self-administration. The research of the faculty is supported by 45 funded grants, many of which are directly related to the field of substance abuse. A central focus of research for the training program is the NIDA-funded Center for the Neurobiological Investigation of Drug Abuse, which offers highly integrated collaborative research projects among a number of faculty. The program is organized around three principal areas of research: Molecular/Cellular Neurobiology, Neurobiological Systems, and Behavioral Neurobiology. The training program, offers a specific course in drug abuse related to each of these three areas. Predoctoral students have a choice of three different Ph.D. degree programs: Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience. Although each of these programs have their own requirements, specific drug abuse-related topics are integrated into the standard programs. The training program offers specific seminars and journal clubs for both predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees. The program also contains specialized components dealing with grant writing and ethics in scientific research. Recruitment of students will be aided by the fact that Neuroscience is one of the fastest growing disciplines in the biological sciences. In addition, recruitment of minority applicants will be a high priority, with a new interactive arrangement between Wake Forest University and North Carolina Central University. In summary, the Neuroscience of Drug Abuse Training Program not only offers students outstanding opportunities for education and research in the neurobiology of drug abuse, but is also a valuable resource for the field of drug abuse by providing trained young investigators capable of independent scientific careers.
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