Journal of Alcoholism & Drug Dependence
Open Access

Nina BL Urban

Biography

Dr. Urban is a psychiatrist and Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatryin the Division of Substance Abuse at Columbia University, New York. She received her M.D. from Humboldt-University in Berlin, Germany in 2001, as well as an M.Sc. in neuroscience from the University of Oxford (2003). Dr. Urban completed her residency in psychiatry at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine before joining Columbia in 2007, where she has worked as a P.I. and Co-Investigator on multiple NIH funded studies using positron emission tomography (PET), fMRI/MRS,and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to explore alterations in the dopaminergic, serotonergic and glutamatergic systems in drug abuse (cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine, alcohol). She is currently working on experimental treatment of cocaine abuse with repetitive TMS, with pending grant support for a similar approach to cannabis dependence, as well as using novel radiotracers to explore involvement of the dynorphin system/kappa receptor in cocaine abuse and binge-drinking behavior.

Research Interest

Neurobiology of Addiction; dopaminergic alterations in cannabis, alcohol and cocaine abuse; psychosis and chemical dependency; psychedelics and club drugs; glutamate in substance abuse; transcranial magnetic stimulation in substance abuse