Molecules, Cells, Circuits and Behavior and Their Impact on Community Research and Treatment

The fourth Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Neurobiology of Drug Addiction will be held in May of 2026 in Castelldefels, Spain. Participants from around the world will attend this five-day meeting to discuss addiction research and treatment. The conference will bring together a group of US and international investigators to discuss the latest developments in addiction research in an open and interactive format. The conference includes those representing broad experimental approaches and theoretical perspectives. Conference participants will discuss recent advances and plot future directions with great depth and with a strong multidisciplinary strategy. This GRC meeting will include talks on the new findings of brain mechanisms underlying the neurobiology of compulsive drug use, relapse, and vulnerability to addiction. Speakers will describe newly developed approaches that have been shown to prevent or reduce drug seeking after withdrawal in animal models, in human lab studies, and in community-based programs. The meeting will include talks on technologies for examining and manipulating brain circuitry in addiction research, including optogenetics, in vivo imaging, neuromodulation, molecular approaches, and new biosensors. Additionally, sessions will address the neurobiology underlying substance use disorder comorbidity with other illnesses that exacerbate addiction. This meeting will foster open discussion of novel research developments, establish new collaborations, propel scientific advances, and further equip the next generation of addiction researchers.