Dr. Taffe is Associate Professor, Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. His work centers on brain mechanisms which contribute to cognitive function and complex behavior, with a focus on the toxic effects of recreational drug use.

Dr. Taffe studies the compulsive use of stimulant class drugs that are popular in the nightclub/rave dance environment — including methamphetamine, MDMA (Ecstasy) and mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone). Our goal is to determine how specific exposure patterns, environments (crowded dance clubs) and cofactors such as sustained activity (dancing) may cause brain changes that support the development of compulsive use.