Neuroscience Clues to the Chemistry of Addictions and Mood Disorders

Saturday, February 13, 2016: 8:00 AM-9:30 AM
Marshall Ballroom East (Marriott Wardman Park)
The ‘Brain Age’ is here. Massive investments in brain research and cognitive neuroscience are transforming our understanding of the human mind. This session includes global teams racing to unlock the human brain by investigating how individual cells and complex neural circuits interact in time and space. The session unveils first insights into how scientists are building “mini-brains” on a chip. The neurons of these three-dimensional organoids communicate spontaneously by neurotransmitters and electrical depolarization – in other words, they are thinking. The U.S., European Union, and emerging countries are developing technology platforms dedicated to neuroinformatics, brain simulation, high performance computing, medical informatics, neuromorphic computing, and neurorobotics. Advocates argue that greater understanding of the brain holds great promise for better prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care and rehabilitation of brain disorders. Others worry about the social and ethical implications of altering brain function as we modulate and manipulate our brains, bodies, moods and actions. Already neuro-marketing firms manipulate ‘buy buttons’ influencing consumer behavior. Game developers 'train the brain' to overcome old age and mental illness. Nutrition companies sell mood-boosting beverages and stress-busting snacks, while policy-makers devise ‘nudges’ for citizens. This panel takes stock of brain mapping discoveries related to mood disorder and addiction and discusses their wider application in society.
Organizer:
Michel Kazatchkine, Member, Global Commission on Drugs Policy; UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia; Former Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis & Malaria
Co-Organizer:
Aidan Gilligan, Secretariat, World Science Forum & Member, International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA)
Moderator:
Michel Kazatchkine, Member, Global Commission on Drugs Policy; UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia; Former Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis & Malaria
Speakers:
Thomas Hartung, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
Understanding Neurotoxicity: Building Human Mini-Brains From Patients' Stem Cells
Wilson Compton, National Institutes of Health
Understanding Vulnerability to Substance Addictions
Wayne C. Drevets, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Understanding the Brain Circuits Underlying Mood Disorders
See more of: Biology and Neuroscience
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