Increasing The Capacity Of Community Pharmacy For Screening, Brief Intervention And Referral For Treatment Of Pharmaceutical Opioid Use Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$177,197.00
Summary
Pharmaceutical opioid dependence is a growing problem. There are effective treatments available, yet few people who need treatment receive it. Currently, pharmacists receive little training on substance use disorders, yet are in contact with almost every person likely to develop problems with pharmaceutical opioids. This project will take an innovative approach to involve pharmacists in identifying those developing problems with pharmaceutical opioids and referring them to treatment.
I am a neuroscientist- neuropharmacologist determining molecular, cellular, synaptic and behavioural mechanisms of opioid addiction and persistent pain states.
The Cognitive Impact Of Opioids During Chronic Administration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$416,024.00
Summary
Many people are now being prescribed opioid drugs for long periods of time, mainly for the treatment of chronic pain. These drugs can adversely affect the person's ability to drive a car, hold down a job, and perform normal functions of daily living. This project will investigate what types of impairment are produced by these drugs and how the drugs can best be used so as to minimise the effects on patients.
Cognitive Phenotyping And Personalised Treatment For Methamphetamine Addiction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$483,402.00
Summary
Prevention and treatment of addiction to stimulants such as methamphetamine is imperative for community health and safety. This fellowship will enable me to apply my expertise in impulsivity and addiction to identify people at risk of increasing methamphetamine use and to develop and evaluate cognitive training therapies that will empower people with methamphetamine related problems to control their drug use. Outcomes include a risk identification and triage tool and three novel therapies.
Novel Delta Receptor Expression In Opioid Tolerant/dependent Neurons
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$370,350.00
Summary
Opioids such as morphine and heroin act on specific molecular targets, or receptors, in the brain. Long term use of opioids produce changes in brain receptor systems that greatly diminish the effects of these drugs (tolerance), as well as producing an adverse withdrawal syndrome on cessation of use (physical dependence). The present proposal will identify the mechanisms of adaptations in cellular function in nerve cells critical for these changes. In particular, we have identified enhanced sensi ....Opioids such as morphine and heroin act on specific molecular targets, or receptors, in the brain. Long term use of opioids produce changes in brain receptor systems that greatly diminish the effects of these drugs (tolerance), as well as producing an adverse withdrawal syndrome on cessation of use (physical dependence). The present proposal will identify the mechanisms of adaptations in cellular function in nerve cells critical for these changes. In particular, we have identified enhanced sensitivity of receptor, the delta receptor, that is closely related to the opioid receptor but is not a target for heroin or morphine. We will identify the mechanisms of enhanced activity of this receptor after chronic use of morphine with a view to tergeting therapeutics to manage tolerance and physical dependence in opioid addicts and chronic pain patients.Read moreRead less
Contextual Control Over Relapse To Drug Seeking: Behavioural And Neural Mechanisms.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$395,750.00
Summary
Drug addiction is a major health and societal problem in Australia. It is consistently associated with an adverse impact upon individual users, their families, and communities. Prolonged drug use is associated with increased rates of physical problems (e.g., cardiovascular disease), mental health problems (e.g., depression and anxiety), and criminal involvement (e.g., property crimes and incarceration). A defining feature of drug addiction is that it is a chronically relapsing condition. Between ....Drug addiction is a major health and societal problem in Australia. It is consistently associated with an adverse impact upon individual users, their families, and communities. Prolonged drug use is associated with increased rates of physical problems (e.g., cardiovascular disease), mental health problems (e.g., depression and anxiety), and criminal involvement (e.g., property crimes and incarceration). A defining feature of drug addiction is that it is a chronically relapsing condition. Between 60-80% of addicts attempting to give up drug taking will relapse to drug taking. The behavioural and brain mechanisms which underpin this persistent propensity to relapse are largely unknown. This project studies the behavioural and brain mechanisms for relapse to drug addiction. This project uses a well validated animal model of drug taking to ask why relapse occurs. It will identify some of the environmental antecedents to relapse and the brain mechanisms which mediate relapse. As such, this project will project will provide important information about relapse to drug addiction and may help identify targets for therapeutic intervention and possibly disrupt the addictive cycle.Read moreRead less
Drug addiction is a major health and societal problem in Australia. Relapse is among the most fundamental problems for addicts. This project studies the behavioural and brain mechanisms for relapse to drug seeking. It studies why relapse is more likely in some places than others; the brain mechanisms for this contextual control over relapse; and how relapse to seeking drug rewards is similar to and different from relapse to seeking non-drug rewards.
I am a psychologist who leads an internationally recognised program of research which aims to increase our understanding of alcohol and drug problems, prevent them where possible and improve treatment responses.
Understanding The Methamphetamine Epidemic And Its Implications For Service Provision And Harm Reduction: The VicMeth Cohort
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,270,774.00
Summary
The Victorian methamphetamine epidemic has received extensive media coverage highlighting the devastating impact of the drug and resultant public concern. We will follow up a cohort of 800 methamphetamine smokers from metropolitan and regional Victoria bi-annually for a period of 5 years to determine the natural history of methamphetamine use to inform optimal intervention strategies and arrest the increases in harm observed in Victoria recently.