Memory and the Neuroscience of Addiction

Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Time: Doors open at 6:00pm, Meetup Group at 6:30pm, Event starts at 7:00pm.

Meet inside the theater at 6:30 p.m. to talk with your fellow group members for a bit before the show starts. Look for the Meetup sign.

Location: Kiggins Theatre, (http://kigginstheatre.com/) 1011 Main Street, Vancouver, Wash.

Cost: $8 online advance tickets (https://viaproductions.seatengine.com/shows/33275), $10* suggested cover at the door. This is an all-ages event.

Food & Drink: Beer, wine, pizza slices, popcorn and snacks available.

Event Description:

Starting from a very young age, humans are driven to seek out novel sensations and rewarding experiences; the brain is wired this way. During adolescence, some seek out drugs of abuse because they create novel sensations and can alter the perception of reality. Repeated exposure to these drugs creates new experiences in the form of powerful, persistent memories, and these drug-related memories are thought to underlie the relapse that can occur for decades, even after extended periods of abstinence. At this Science on Tap, Barbara Sorg, PhD (http://directory.vancouver.wsu.edu/people/barbara-sorg), professor of neuroscience at WSU Vancouver, will talk about what happens in the brain with rewarding experiences and how drugs of abuse alter the structure and function of the brain to make drug addiction a chronic brain disease. She will also discuss how her laboratory uses animal models of addiction to weaken memories associated with cocaine.

Event Website (http://www.viaproductions.org/events/kiggins_may_11_memory/)

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Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

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Science on Tap at the Kiggins is produced in partnership with Washington State University Vancouver (http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/).

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*A note on the suggested cover: Science on Tap is largely supported by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can. Buying a ticket in advance confirms that you will have a seat at the event.