Neuroscience and genetics are rapidly developing and exciting fields in bioscience that promise to revolutionise our understanding of mental disorders such as alcohol and drug addiction. Findings in these fields may profoundly affect how Australian society responds to people with addictive disorders. The chronic use of substances such as alcohol, nicotine and illicit drugs can profoundly affect mood, attention, decision-making, motivation and memory. Addiction to alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs are among the most common behavioural disorders in developed societies and contribute substantially to the burden of disease in Australia and worldwide. This project is funded by the NHMRC.
To analyse public health policy and ethical issues raised by genetic and neuroscience research, and their applications to the treatment and prevention of drug use and addiction.