Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, will speak at the 2007 World Psychiatric (WPA) Regional Meeting & Chinese Society of Psychiatry (CSP) Annual Congress in Shanghai in September. The meeting will provide a special opportunity to discuss some of the most important topics of the psychiatric field within an international framework. Such topics will cover forensic psychiatry, clinical diagnosis, approaches to care, and cultural issues.
WHO: Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse
WHAT: Scientific Presentation on Drug Addiction in Shanghai entitled "The Neurobiology of Free Will in Addictive Disorders"
WHEN: Friday, September 21, 2007 from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: Shanghai International Convention Center, Grand Ballroom, Shanghai, China
BACKGROUND: Nora D. Volkow, M.D., became the director of NIDA at the National Institutes of Health in May 2003. NIDA supports most of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction. Dr. Volkow's work has been instrumental in demonstrating that drug addiction is a disease of the human brain. As a research psychiatrist and scientist, Dr. Volkow pioneered the use of brain imaging to investigate the toxic effects of drugs and their addictive properties. Her studies have documented changes in the dopamine system affecting the actions of frontal brain regions involved with motivation, drive, and pleasure and the decline of brain dopamine function with age. She has also made important contributions to the neurobiology of obesity, ADHD, and the behavioral changes that occur with aging.
The WPA is an association of psychiatric societies aimed to increase knowledge and skills necessary for work in the field of mental health and the care for the mentally ill. Its member societies are presently 130, spanning 113 different countries and representing more than 180,000 psychiatrists. The WPA organizes international and regional congresses and meetings, and thematic conferences. It has 65 scientific sections, aimed to disseminate information and promote collaborative work in specific domains of psychiatry. Further information on the WPA can be found on the website www.wpanet.org.