Nora Volkow, M.D.

Dr. Volkow became Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health in May 2003. In addition to her role in NIDA, she is the chief of LNI in NIAAA. Her work has been instrumental in demonstrating that drug addiction is a brain disorder. As a research psychiatrist, Dr. Volkow pioneered the use of brain imaging to investigate how substance use affects brain functions. Her studies have documented how changes in the dopamine system affect the functions of brain regions involved with reward and self-control in addiction. She has also made important contributions to the neurobiology of obesity, ADHD, and aging. Dr. Volkow has published more than 800 peer-reviewed articles, written more than 100 book chapters manuscripts and articles, co-edited “Neuroscience in the 21^st Century” and edited four books on brain imaging for mental and substance use disorders.