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In our laboratories. . .
We are leading teams of research scientists to understand how the brain acquires and stores information and how those processes are impacted by recreational drugs. Our laboratories are funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and non-governmental agencies.
We are learning about the effects of alcohol, cocaine, marijuana and other drugs on the neurological and behavioral processes that underlie addiction.
We focus on vulnerable and under-studied populations such as children, adolescents, and women. Our goals are to understand how the developing brain responds to these drugs, how it may be altered by drug exposure, and ultimately, how to treat and prevent addiction.
If you would like to know more about our laboratory research please contact us.
In our communities. . .
We are teaching students, parents, counselors, community leaders, and policy makers about the brain and how to keep it functioning optimally.
We are conducting research to understand the best ways to communicate the importance of healthy brain development and change knowledge, attitudes and behavior in our communities.
We are partnering with educators from the public and private sector to work with young people in their school environments. We want to understand how information about brain function and health will improve academic performance.
Our Upcoming Community Projects
A total community program for 9th grade students: We have an invitation from a very large public school system to provide brain education programming for all of the 9th grade students, each of their faculty members, and their parents. We will study the impact of this on knowledge, attitudes and behavior of all of the community individuals. We are now seeking funding for the DukeLEARN component of the project.
An opportunity to work with at-risk students in the Communities in Schools Performance Learning Centers: The Performance Learning Centers are designed to help at-risk young people successfully complete high school. We have been invited to initiate a pilot program to provide training for staff, parents and students in North Carolina PLCs.
Learning Effectiveness for College Students: We are developing a first-year program to help college students be safe and academically effective in college. They will learn how the brain acquires and retrieves information and how life-style issues such as sleep, nutrition, and exercise influence learning. As we teach about the brain, we will include information about the effects of recreational drugs, especially alcohol and marijuana and how they can place both learning and general health at risk.
Training for Substance Abuse Treatment Professionals: We are developing a standardized curriculum to teach the neuroscience of drug abuse for treatment professionals. Our experience has taught us that these professionals are excited to understand how alcohol and other drugs interact with the brain to produce neurological dysfunction and addiction. This curriculum will allow them to teach their clients exactly what effects these agents are having on their behavior and their brain health in ways that make neuroscience accessible to non-scientists.
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