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SUMMARY:Modulating drug taking and drug seeking through TAAR1 activation -
  Dr Juan J Canales\, Reader in Behavioural Neurosciences Department of  Ne
 uroscience\, Psychology and Behaviour\, University of Leicester
DTSTART:20151120T163000Z
DTEND:20151120T180000Z
UID:TALK60560@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Louise White
DESCRIPTION:Research into treatment for problematic stimulant abuse has ye
 t to find suitable pharmacotherapeutic agents to assist with detoxificatio
 n\, withdrawal\, and relapse prevention. The newly discovered trace amine-
 associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) constitutes a novel receptor target for medi
 cation development with great potential to treat the pathological changes 
 produced by chronic drug exposure\, especially stimulant abuse. Studies wi
 th transgenic animals indicate that changes in TAAR1 expression have a str
 ong impact on psychomotor stimulant-induced behaviours. Moreover\, the rec
 ent development of specific agonists at TAAR1 has allowed the identificati
 on of some of the functions of this receptor. TAAR1 is abundantly expresse
 d in midbrain dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons\, and their associated
  ascending pathways\, and TAAR1 agonists are able to regulate the activity
  of dopamine neurons and control dopamine release in dopamine terminal reg
 ions. Evidence will be presented describing the remarkable ability of TAAR
 1 agonists to modulate stimulant-associated behaviours\, with particular r
 eference to drug taking and drug seeking behaviour.\nShort bio\nDr. Juan J
 . Canales is a Reader in Behavioural Neuroscience in the Department of Neu
 roscience\, Psychology and Behaviour at the University of Leicester. Dr. C
 anales obtained his doctorate at the University of Oxford and after post d
 ocs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge\, USA) and the
  Valencia Foundation for Biomedical Research (Spain)\, he became Ramon y C
 ajal Senior Scientist and later Institute Investigator at the University o
 f Valencia (Spain). Before joining the University of Leicester\, Dr. Canal
 es was a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University
  of Canterbury (New Zealand). His research focuses on the neuropharmacolog
 y of drug addiction\, the discovery of new targets for therapeutic interve
 ntion in addiction\, and the involvement of postnatal neurogenesis in heal
 th and psychopathology.\n
LOCATION:Ground Floor Lecture Theatre\, Department of Psychology
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