Cutting the ribbon to dedicate NIDA's new Brain Imaging Center in Baltimore are, from left, Dr. Harold Varmus, director of the National Institutes of Health; General Barry R. McCaffrey, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy; and Dr. Alan I. Leshner, director, of NIDAThe opening of both a Brain Imaging Center in NIDA's Division of IntramuralResearch (DIR) in Baltimore, and NIDA's Regional Neuroimaging Center atBrookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York, has affirmed NIDA's commitment to brain imaging research as a vital tool for finding effective drug abuse treatments. This Special Report describes imaging research both by the scientists in DIR and by NIDA-funded researchers across the Nation.
In his column, NIDA Director Dr. Alan I. Leshner reports on the achievements and goals of this research. "New Imaging Center Enhances NIDA's Brain Research", introduces the new center in Baltimore, and "NIDA Brain Imaging Research Links Cue-Induced Craving to Structures Involved in Memory" discusses the recent research led by Center Director Dr. Edythe London. "NIDA-Supported Researchers Use Brain Imaging to Deepen Understanding of Addiction" presents examples of brain imaging research being conducted by NIDA-funded researchers across the Nation, and "NIDA's Regional Neuroimaging Center" describes the Brookhaven Center. Finally, The Basics of Brain Imaging" offers a backgrounder on major neuroimaging techniques currently being used in drug abuse research.
Officials gather at the new PET scanner during the dedication of NIDA's Brain Imaging Center in Baltimore. From left, Dr. Harold Varmus, director of NIH; General Barry R. McCaffrey, director of ONDCP; Dr. Alan I. Leshner, director of NIDA; Dr. Edythe D. London, director of the center; Dr. Ruth L. Kirschstein, deputy director of NIH; and Dr. Barry J. Hoffer, director of NIDA's Division of Intramural Research.