A Brown University professor has been awarded more than $560,000 in federal economic stimulus funds to study whether a drug used to treat migraines, epilepsy and alcohol abuse can help adolescents stop abusing marijuana.
Robert Miranda Jr., an assistant professor at Brown’s Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, is among the first researchers to receive a grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. He will use the $560,515 for the first year of a two-year study of the drug topiramate, which is thought to be able to blunt dopamine release in the brain.
Dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward, is released during drug use and is thus believed to contribute to addiction. More than two-thirds of substance abuse treatment center admissions for teens involve marijuana as a factor, Miranda said.
“There are very few medication studies done for adolescent substance abuse,” Miranda said.
The federal funds, which come from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, will create or help create three new full-time positions, Brown said. They will also help save five full-time jobs, including a computer programmer and project assessment coordinator.
The study will begin in mid-June. Miranda expects to enroll about 60 adolescent boys and girls, recruited through the community and local schools.
The study will focus on whether the drug is well tolerated and effective and whether a broader, larger-scale clinical trial and longer-term follow-ups are warranted.
Let’s see $560,500 divided by 3 jobs created and 5 jobs saved. What a deal for the taxpayers…only $70K each!