Dr. Stephen Dewey Presents the Science of Drugs, Addictions and the Brain

Stephen L. Dewey, Ph.D.

Neuroscientist and Research Professor,

New York University School of Medicine

On Thursday, April 26, 2018 at 7:30 pm, Dr. Stephen Dewey will join New Castle United for Youth in the iLab at Horace Greeley high school to help parents understand the science behind the impacts of alcohol and other drugs on the adolescent brain.  

Dr. Stephen Dewey has put virtually every drug of abuse to the test on the brain to tell the story of what these substances do to its function and structure.  His findings have led to a deep understanding of how the brain can so easily and permanently be altered by chronic exposure to drugs and suggest that even occasional use can permanently alter its inner workings. Dr. Dewey’s research has been featured  on 20/20, Dateline, Good Morning America, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX, FOX News, News 12 Long Island, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and Newsday.

In this talk, Dr. Dewey will present how the adolescent brain differs from the adult brain.  He will describe the direct effects of various drugs of abuse, including legal drugs like caffeine, alcohol, and stimulants like Ritalin, on brain metabolism and chemistry, and examine how the environment influences the addictive process and how particular cues produce relapse to drug seeking behavior.  Finally, he will discuss the state-of-the-art medical imaging techniques used to non-invasively investigate brain chemistry.

Dr. Dewey will also be at Horace Greeley High School on Friday, April 27 to discuss his research with students in certain science classes. Students are welcome to attend the evening presentation if they are not scheduled to meet with Dr. Dewey with their class.