Drug Dependence

NEUROPHARMACOLOGY

Understanding how drugs of abuse interact with the cells in our body to cause their effects is fundamental to the development of strategies to deal with many of the social and health problems associated with these drugs. This requires understanding of the chemistry of the drugs, associated neuroscience and their neuropharmacology. We use a number of methods and techniques to pursue this understanding including HPLC, in vivo radiotelemetry, chronoamperometry and  microdialysis. The drugs currently under investigation include: ecstasy and associated amphetamines, opioids, including heroin and methadone and anabolic steroids.

Senior researchers:

Prof Jason White
A/Prof Rod Irvine
Dr Abdallah Salem

Examples of Current Projects:

Opioids

• Opioids and immnune function
• Effect of naloxone methiodide, a peripherally acting opioid antagonist, on opioid induced respiratory depression - A/Prof Rod Irvine

CNS Stimulants and Party Drugs

• The role of monoamine oxidase in the acute toxicity of substituted amphetamines - A/Prof Rod Irvine
• The blood brain barrier and the development of MDMA neurotoxicity - A/Prof Rod Irvine
• Neurochemistry of the substituted amphetamines, p-methoxy-amphetamine (PMA) and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), A/Prof Rod Irvine, Dr Abdallah Salem