FEDERAL AGENCY BACKS UNIQUE METH RESEARCH PROJECT IN PORTLAND

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Instead of Oregon being known for its
methamphetamine abuse problem, researchers at Oregon Health & Science
University and the Portland Veterans Administration Medical Center
want the state to be known as a national leader in meth research and treatment.

Backed by a federal agency, together they have launched the
Methamphetamine Abuse Research Center.

National health experts say the center is unique because it will
devote itself to a full interdisciplinary approach to studying meth
and meth addiction.

"You're bringing a wide variety of research into the mix," said Dr.
David Shurtleff of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which is
providing $5 million over a five-year period for research at the center.

Geneticists, neuroscientists, psychiatrists and people doing public
outreach will all be involved, said Shurtleff, director of basic
neuroscience and behavioral research at the national institute, from
his office in Bethesda, Md.

Using existing facilities at the two Portland medical centers,
researchers have already begun their work.

OHSU and the veterans hospital officially announced the center on Friday.

The decision to launch the center was largely based on the meth
problem in Oregon and its growing prevalence nationwide, said Aaron
Janowski, director of the Methamphetamine Abuse Research Center. An
estimated 1.4 million people in the United States have used
methamphetamine in the past year.

The U.S. meth problem originated in the West but it has been
spreading east, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Despite the prevalence of the addictive drug, researchers say there
is much to be learned about its workings.

"There's actually very little that is understood about meth," Janowski said.

Scientists do know that meth is an insidious drug, causing long-term damage.

"We want to know: How can we alter the effects of methamphetamines?"
Janowski said. "And even more importantly, what are the precursors,
the predispositions that might allow someone to really have trouble
to start using it and then have irreparable trouble?"

Twenty faculty members at the Portland medical centers are conducting
research to understand what drives people to the drug and the effects
of the addiction at a molecular, neurochemical, anatomical and
behavioral level.

The group also plans to increase education for clinicians and the
public about the drug and its effects.

Research projects that are already under way show the breadth of the
work to be pursued.

One of the center's pilot projects is examining neuron systems in the
brain involved in meth's effects and how those systems are altered by
drug exposure. Another is focusing on the decision-making and
impulsivity among meth users by taking an image of their brains while
they take a series of tests.

Information from the latter project show meth users are much more
driven by immediate than long-term rewards. This is important
clinically, Dr. Bill Hoffman of OHSU said, because it could improve a
patient's interest in sticking with treatment if it is focused on the
immediate rewards that meth users are wired to desire.

The center hopes to continue finding insights into their
understanding of meth that can help curb the nationwide problem.

Janowski said Oregon is ripe for the research because of its
population of people who use meth, many of whom have been taking the
drug for more than 20 years and in large doses. And unlike many other
areas, Oregon meth users tend to make it their preferred drug of
choice -- making it easier for scientists to look at meth-specific impacts.

The Portland VA says the drug accounts for more psychiatric
hospitalizations in the state than any other abused drug.

William Cameron, associate professor at OHSU heading up the education
component of the center, said its clear there is an urgency to
sharing as much information as possible among researchers, health
care workers and the public because of the social toll of the drug.

"Local efforts alone won't do," he said.

The center can reapply for further funding based on their initial performance.

"We have high hopes for this project," said Shurtleff, of the
National Institute on Drug Abuse.