Introduction and The Neurobiology of Addiction

Dr. Gardner received his undergraduate training at Harvard University, followed by graduate studies in neuroscience and physiological psychology at McGill University and the Montreal Neurological Institute. Dr. Gardner then entered the U.S. Air Force as a medical research officer, serving as a Branch Chief at the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine. In 1969, he became a Postdoctoral Fellow in Neurology and Pharmacology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. He was promoted to faculty rank at Albert Einstein in 1972, and remained there for 30 years, rising in rank to Professor of Neuroscience, Professor of Psychiatry, Director of Basic Research in Psychiatry, and Co-Director of the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program. In 2000, Dr. Gardner joined the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. In 2003, he was appointed Chief of the Neuropsychopharmacology Section at NIDA, with responsibility for developing neurobiology-based medication discovery for the treatment of addiction. He has served as a scientific consultant to both the American and Canadian governments, and is the author of more than 400 journal articles, book chapters, or abstracts in neuropsychopharmacology and addiction medicine. He is a recipient of the prestigious Career Scientist Award of the Health Research Council of New York, and is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association for “outstanding contributions to psychopharmacology and behavioral neuroscience." In 2000, he was named ADistinguished Basic Science Scholar of the Year@ by the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry. Dr. Gardner is a member of the American, Canadian, and International Societies of Addiction Medicine. His recent research has focused heavily on the brain=s dopamine D3 receptor system, the brain's metabotropic glutamate signaling system, and the brain's endocannabinoid system as possible targets for anti-addiction, anti-craving, and anti-relapse medication development.