Decoding the neurobiological underpinnings of psychiatric disorders such as addiction is critically linked to expanding insights obtained from the human brain which can inform targeted treatments. The important need for the development of novel non-addictive medications is particularly critical today to address the persistent opioid and overdose epidemic crisis facing society worldwide. The presentation will provide molecular insights gained from post-mortem studies of human heroin users and complementary mechanistic animal studies that identify specific epigenetic, neurodegenerative and synaptic plasticity biological processes that offer druggable targets for opioid use disorder.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Yasmin Hurd is Professor of Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Pharmacological Sciences as well as the Director for the Addiction Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. She is an internationally renowned neuroscientist whose translational research examines the neurobiology of substance use disorders and related psychiatric disorders with primary focus on opioid abuse and the developmental effects of cannabis. She is a member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.