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THE WASHINGTON POST Tuesday, June 24, 2003; Page B03 VIRGINIA Hampton U. Wins Grant to Study Drug Hampton University has been awarded a $2.1 million federal grant to study the effects of the drug ecstasy on the body, officials said. The grant, covering five years, is from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a branch of the National Institutes of Health. Hampton officials said they hope the research will help answer questions about a drug whose actions are largely unknown. "There's a huge gap in knowledge in terms of why does ecstasy do what it does," said Hugh M. McLean, chairman of Hampton's Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Ecstasy, popular among teenagers and young adults who attend rave parties, leads to the destruction of neurons in the brain, McLean said. Repeated users of the drug develop symptoms resembling those of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Hampton researchers will try to determine which byproducts of the drug cause the destruction of the brain's neurons. McLean said. Researchers hope to find a way to reduce harmful side effects of the drug. SOURCE: The Washington Post, DC http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24669-2003Jun23.html * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn