mimicking drug

[ashaudean]

I am currently a Biomedical Engineering student and am very fascinated with the subject of how drugs work in the brain and body and the topic of drug addiction and dependence. It has become a slight obsession of mine recently of the possibility of some sort of drug or compound that could be made to "mimic" the effects on the brain of various recreational drugs without the negative influence the recreational drugs would have on the mind and body such as pleasure chemical depletion, physical dependence, etc. I would really like to research this possibility and learn more about what it would entail. I would just like to hear any suggestions to this theory and possibly if there have already been studies done regarding the topic.

Best,
Ashlee Anthony
ashleeaanthony@ufl.edu