Grant: Catalyst Grant: Prevention and Treatment of Illicit Substance Use

In spite of intense efforts in research, as well as clinical and field interventions to prevent and treat drug addiction, this health problem is still devastating and worse, is still growing. In particular, methamphetamine (Crystal Meth) is relatively easy and cheap to synthesize: the recipe is available on the internet and ingredients can be purchased over the counter at the local pharmacy. Most current therapies provide short-term solutions to help detoxification and support abstinence. However, the main problem in treating or preventing addiction is the long lasting, even permanent, neuronal alterations produces by drugs of abuse. These long-lasting alterations underlie the aggravating properties of several risk factors and the difficulty of remaining abstinent after detoxification. My research program investigates the neuronal basis of the long term and somehow permanent neuronal modifications induced by drugs of abuse. This particular research projects will determine the effects of Crystal Meth on synaptic transmission combining behavioural testing of methamphetamine self- administration in rodents with patch-clamp recordings in brain slices. The long term objective is to help in developing therapies aimed at reversing these neuronal modifications and hope to permanently occlude susceptibility to develop addiction or to relapse albeit sincere efforts to refrain.