Plenary Symposium

Non-classical pharmacology of the dopamine transporter and addiction

The dopamine transporter is the main target for addictive drugs in the psychostimulant class, and therefore a logical target for the search for medicines to treat stimulant addiction. The earliest research on discovery of such treatments focused on the possibility of a compound that blocked cocaine but allowed dopamine uptake. As the potential for finding such a compound appeared to vanish, new evidence suggested novel drug actions and interactions, with the dopamine transporter having a dynamic role, and new opportunities for anti-addictive effects, increasing interest in a host of new DAT compounds. This symposium will cover the pharmacology, chemistry, and behavioral activity of nonclassical DAT modulators including partial inhibitors and releasers, and atypical DAT blockers with a preference for the inward-facing conformation of the DAT. One such compound in the latter group is already on the market: modafinil – this compound will be discussed from both basic and human clinical perspectives.

Symposium Speakers