September 15, 1997
UW offers free public lecture series in Wenatchee on Addiction and the Brain
Are you fascinated by the workings of the human brain? With drug dependency and alcoholism much in the news, are you interested to learn about the brain’s role in addiction?
A free public lecture series on “Addiction and the Brain: Beyond Saying No” will be offered in Wenatchee by the University of Washington’s Biobehavioral Nursing Program. A similar series was presented in Seattle last spring.
The first lecture, “The Brain Reward System,” will be given from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Lyceum at Wenatchee Valley Community College. Dr. Akira Horita, professor of psychiatry and behavioral science and professor of pharmacology at the UW, will discuss the reasons that drugs are so addictive.
A multi-media introduction to brain anatomy will accompany the lecture, presented by the Brain Power Team from the Pacific Science Center and Group Health Cooperative in Seattle. Exhibits will be available for viewing at 6:30 p.m., prior to Horita’s lecture.
The second lecture, “How Does Marijuana Work?” will be given from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, also at the Lyceum at Wenatchee Valley College. Dr. Ken Mackie, UW assistant professor of anesthesiology, will address how marijuana affects the brain, and its potential as a therapy for some medical conditions.
Admission is free, and no advance signup is necessary. For more information, contact Trez Buckland at (206) 616-9447.
The lecture series will continue next spring if sufficient interest is expressed.
“This series will provide thought-provoking information on the relationship of addiction to the brain’s built-in reward system,” said Dr. Susanna Cunningham, UW associate professor of nursing and principal investigator on the project. “While the presenters are top scientists, the sessions are designed for the general public.”
“Addiction and the Brain: Beyond Saying No” is a partnership project organized by the UW School of Nursing, and involving the UW School of Medicine, the UW Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, UW Health Sciences and Medical Affairs News and Community Relations, the Pacific Science Center, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, and the Washington Association for Biomedical Research.
The project is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health. For additional information visit the project’s web site at http://www.son.washington.edu/~nida.
Continuing education credits are available for teachers, counselors and medical pressionals. For information on continuing education only, call Jack Brantner or Clyde Carpenter at North Central Educational Service District, (509) 663-8743.
