Bruce Hope, Ph.D.
Dr. Bruce Hope is Chief of the Neuronal Ensembles in Addiction Section. He investigates how cues and rewards activate and alter specific patterns of neurons called neuronal ensembles that encode learned associations between these cues and rewards. He studies the molecular and cellular alterations within these ensembles that form the long-lasting physical traces that encode memory, including memories involved in drug addiction. Dr. Hope received a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of British Columbia.
About This Talk
When people take drugs, they learn to associate the drug’s effects with stimuli (places, objects, friends) that are present when taking the drug. These places, objects, and friends become cues that remind users about their drug experiences, which can increase the likelihood of relapse. These drug memories are stored within patterns of cells in the brain, called neuronal ensembles. Dr. Hope will describe how he studies these drug ensembles with the hope of erasing the drug memories without altering other memories.
Audiences: middle school, high school, college
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