Biobehavioral Studies of Substance Abuse (K05)

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Center-McLean Hospital

Nancy K. Mello, Ph.D.

This Senior Scientist Award (KO-5) supports research on the biological and behavioral aspects of substance abuse. Interrelated clinical and preclinical multidisciplinary studies focus on two general areas of research. One area is concerned with effects of abused substances on the endocrine system with special emphasis on the consequences of drug abuse on reproductive hormones in females as well as assessment of gender differences in drug effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The second area is concerned with the evaluation of new medications for drug abuse treatment in clinical studies and in preclinical models of drug self-administration and drug discrimination. This research is supported by research grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH.

Key words: substance abuse, endocrinology, medications development

Grant Support: NIDA DA00101

Project Site: Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478

Project Director: N.K. Mello, Ph.D.

Contact Person: Rita Head, Administrative Assistant. Telephone (617) 855-2716. FAX: (617) 855-2519

Representative Publications:

Mendelson, J.H. and Mello, N.K.: Drug therapy: Management of cocaine abuse and dependence. N. Engl. J. Med. 334:965-972, 1996.

Mello, N.K. and Negus, S.S.: Preclinical evaluation of pharmacotherapies for treatment of cocaine and opiate abuse using drug self-administration procedures. Neuropsychopharmacology 14:375-424, 1996.

Mello N.K. and Negus S.S.: Interactions between kappa opioid agonists and cocaine: Preclinical Studies. In: The Archer Conference on Drug Abuse: New Medications, S.D. Glick, I.M. Maisonneuve (eds.). N.Y. Academy of Sciences, pp. 104-132, 2000.

Mendelson, J.H. and Mello, N.K.: Cocaine and Other Commonly Abused Drugs. In: Braunwald, E., Fauci, A.S., Kasper, D.L., Hauser, S.L., Longo, D.L., Jameson J.L. (eds.) Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 15th Edition, New York: The McGraw-Hill Co. 2001. pp. 2570-2574.

Mello, N.K. and Mendelson, J.H.: Cocaine, Hormones and Behavior. In: Pfaff, D.W., Markovac, J., Arnold, A.P., Etgen, A.M., Fahrbach, S.E. Rubin, R.T. (eds.) Hormones Brain and Behavior, San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 2002 (in press).