Expert Alert - Brain malfunction possible cause of drug addiction

    CIHR experts discuss addiction in light of Mental Health Week (May 4-10)
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    OTTAWA, April 24 /CNW Telbec/ - Experimenting with drugs or going to a
casino doesn't make you an addict. We all know that. But why do some develop
an obsession? Experts agree that most of the time, those who become addicted
also carry an underlying mental health problem. During Mental Health Week,
experts from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research discuss how
psychological issues have devastating consequences on people's lives.

    Experts:
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    Brain malfunction possible cause of drug addiction
    Dr. Rémi Quirion, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of
    Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (Montreal)

    The power of drugs: what makes them so addictive?
    Dr. Paul Clarke, CIHR-funded researcher from McGill University (Montreal)

    Addicts' brains work differently
    Drs. Alain Dagher and Lesley Fellows, CIHR-funded researchers from McGill
    University (Montreal)

    Depression and alcohol use: gender gap
    Dr. Kathryn Graham, CIHR-funded researcher from the Centre for Addiction
    and Mental Health (Toronto)

    Effect of meth abuse on the brain
    Dr. Alasdair Barr, CIHR-funded researcher from the University of British
    Columbia (Vancouver)

    The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of
Canada's agency for health research. CIHR's mission is to create new
scientific knowledge and to catalyze its translation into improved health,
more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian
health-care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and
support to more than 11,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada.
www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca
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For further information: For an interview, please contact: David
Coulombe, CIHR Media Relations, (613) 941-4563, Cell: (613) 808-7526,
mediarelations@cihr-irsc.gc.ca