The Brain Health Research Institute and the College of Arts and Sciences will host the Seventh Annual Neuroscience Symposium on April 4-5 at the Kent State University Kiva Auditorium. This year's topic is "The Neuroscience of the Addicted Brain," with Elise Weerts, Ph.D., as our keynote speaker on Thursday, April 4 at 7 p.m. Dr. Weerts is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. She will present “Neuroimaging, genetic and pharmacological approaches towards understanding alcohol use disorder and its treatment.”
“Addiction is an important and timely topic in the field of neuroscience, as it is a chronic disease of the brain that affects aspects of reward, motivation, and memory,” Symposium Co-Chair Dr. Heather Caldwell, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Kent State, said.
Additional talks will take place between 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on Thursday April 5. Speakers include:
- Lique Coolen, Ph.D., Kent State University: “The neural mechanisms by which social experiences influence vulnerability for drug addiction”
- Francesca Filbey, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Dallas: “What do we know about the effects of cannabis on the brain?”
- Lance McMahon, Ph.D., University of Florida: “Kratom alkaloids: in vitro and in vivo pharmacological mechanisms”
- Devin Mueller, Ph.D., Kent State University: “Addiction memories in the crosshairs: targeting cocaine-associated memory retrieval to disrupt compulsive drug seeking”
- Kathryn Reissner, Ph.D., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: “A role for astrocytes in the development of cocaine addiction”
The Brain Health Research Institute (BHRI) at Kent State University was recently established as a platform for multidisciplinary collaboration in research and education. The aim of the BHRI is to use our understanding of brain health as a window into development of new treatments and cures for brain and nervous system disease. One of the goals of the BHRI is to support neuroscience symposia, workshops and seminars to foster interactions among neuroscientists at Kent State University as well as at its external partners, which include Northeastern Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), Cleveland Clinic, Case Western University, and the Akron Children’s Hospital. The BHRI is also a member of the Cleveland Brain Health Initiative, which also seeks to grow neuroscience collaborations that have an impact on brain health across northeastern Ohio.
To learn more about the Brain Health Research Institute, visit https://www.kent.edu/brainhealth.
Please visit the Neuroscience Symposium website for more information and to register: https://www.kent.edu/neuroscience/seventh-annual-neuroscience-symposium
Media Contacts:
Jim Maxwell, 330-672-8028, jmaxwel2@kent.edu
Emily Vincent, 330-672-8595, evincen2@kent.edu