Mark S. Gold is a translational researcher, author, and inventor best known for his work on the brain systems underlying the effects of opiate drugs. He proposed a novel model for opiate action, dependence, and withdrawal changing the way opiate action was understood. This locus coeruleus theory of opiate and drug withdrawal is a mainstay of 2014 theory and practice, even though he proposed it in 1978. Gold is the senior author on the discovery paper and was awarded a patent for the discovery of new uses for clonidine which remains widely used for opiate withdrawal and pain management. Drs. Gold and Herbert Kleber were the first to suggest sequential use of clonidine and Naltrexone. During 1980s Gold and colleagues developed a new theory for cocaine action, dependence, and withdrawal based on his understanding of the dopamine-rich areas of the brain. While most at the time did not consider cocaine addictive because of the lack of a classic withdrawal syndrome, Gold proposed a dopamine theory of pathological attachment, loss of control and addiction. He also has worked for over 30 years trying to understand overeating as related to drug of abuse or addiction models. He described Food Addiction in several classic papers and texts. He has served on numerous governmental as well as private psychiatric boards and panels. His work reduced stigma, served as the basis for many educational and prevention campaigns and changed the lives of addicts with basic and applied science leading to new evidence-based treatment. Dr. Gold is a multiple patent holder, author of nearly 1,000 publications. He is a Distinguished Alumnus of Washington University, University of Florida and Yale University. Currently he is an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at Washington University in St Louis and the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Boards for RiverMend Health.
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