By: Abby Bowe

If you are from West Virginia chances are you, or someone your family knows, is afflicted with addiction. 

If you are lucky enough that it does not personally affect you, then it is likely you’ve seen someone struggle or at the very least heard their story. Addiction is a sickness and one professor at Wesleyan is using his strengths to combat this rising epidemic. 

Biochemistry professor, Dr. Bruce Anthony, has been running various student classes in addition to maintaining a research lab during his time at Wesleyan. Dr. Anthony has an extensive background in neuroscience and since his posting at the college in Buckhannon, his research efforts have centered around studying addiction.

The most recent, substantial project, was one in which the Anthony lab group studied the effects of various drugs, such as methamphetamine and opiods, on the brain in mice models. The focus of the study was to find a treatment method to improve neuroplasticity; to determine how and when a patient suffering from addiction might be able to recover from brain damage induced by drug exposure. 

Studying addiction is a significantly intense subject. When asked about the motivation behind pursuing this study Dr. Anthony shared, “Some of it was personal, watching others struggle through addiction. Another aspect was understanding that as time goes on, this is becoming the largest health concern in the United States”. 

However, Dr. Anthony does not manage these projects alone. He has a small group of students every summer working on various aspects of the project, including some of their own personal research related to the primary study. A few students return throughout the semesters working in the lab in addition to their class schedules. “Anywhere from pre-med to PhD to nursing students” are the kinds of students that have worked with Dr. Anthony. 

As for results, Dr. Anthony has shared that as of now we are not seeing recovery in brain plasticity from any stimulant drug until after 6 months of recovery. Recently the project was expanded to look into supplements and how different types would improve or have no change in growing cell cultures that had been exposed to alcohol or drugs. Future directions of Anthony’s lab include applying the most promising results from supplements in cell culture into animal models and increasing the length of study to examine out a full year. 

Professor Bruce Anthony hopes to “improve treatment and mental health for anyone with an addiction” through his efforts.