Neurocognition, Nicotine and Polysubstance Abuse

描述（由申请人提供）：目前的研究提供了关于长期使用药物对大脑行为关系影响的急需数据。然而，这篇文献涉及长期物质使用障碍（SUD）的神经行为伴随因素，具有相当大的异质性。有许多因素可能导致这一结果。一个可能的原因是没有考虑到频繁使用/滥用兴奋剂尼古丁的影响。第二次修订寻求五年的资金，以解决尼古丁在功能上补偿慢性物质滥用者（SA）长期神经认知影响的作用。具体而言，我们建议测试的假设，尼古丁的认知增强性能，特别是在工作记忆和注意力过程中证明，可能有助于抵消或功能上克服慢性SA中观察到的负面影响。 该设计需要直接比较的男性和女性禁欲，脱毒SA（n=216）分配到亚组的基础上，他们的主要药物滥用和当前的临床诊断信息与社区控制（吸烟和不吸烟; n=144）等同的地理和人口统计学变量。除了回答这个问题，目前的设计还将扩展正在进行的工作，有关药物使用亚组之间的差异，认知损害。使用双盲安慰剂对照研究，我们建议研究三种水平的尼古丁经皮给药（0、7和21 mg贴剂）对寻求治疗的SA和社区对照（男性和女性人数相等）的影响。如果这些假设得到支持，现有的研究可能会低估慢性药物使用对特定认知过程的影响。这些发现将具有相当大的临床和科学意义。 作为第二个目标，我们计划调查相关的，未充分研究的，人口统计学变量之间的关联，包括抑郁症状，儿童行为障碍和焦虑症。此外，我们打算检查SUD的种族/民族、性别和家族史的作用。为了促进这一次要目标，我们制定了计划，对美洲印第安人（Al），非洲裔美国人（AA）和女性参与者进行过度抽样。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Current research is providing much needed data regarding the effects of chronic drug use on brain-behavior relations. This literature addressing the neurobehavioral concomitants of long-term substance use disorders (SUDs), however, is marked by considerable heterogeneity There are a number of factors which may contribute to this outcome. One likely contributor is the failure to account for the influence of the frequent use/abuse of the stimulant, nicotine. This second revision seeks five years of funding to address the role of nicotine in functionally compensating for the long-term neurocognitive effects of chronic substance abusers (SA s). Specifically, we propose to test the hypothesis that nicotine's cognitive enhancing properties, particularly as evidenced in working memory and attentional processes may serve to counterbalance or functionally overcome the negative effects observed in chronic SAs. The design entails the direct comparison of male and female abstinent, detoxified SA s (n=216) assigned to subgroups on the basis of their primary drug of abuse and current clinical diagnostic information with community controls (smoking and non-smoking; n=144) equated on geographic and demographic variables. In addition to responding to this question, the current design will also extend the on-going work regarding differences among drug using subgroups regarding cognitive compromise. Using a double-blind placebo controlled study, we propose to study the effect of three levels of nicotine via transdermal administration (0, 7 and 21 mg patches) in treatment-seeking SA and community controls (equal numbers of males and females). If the hypotheses are supported, existing research may underestimate the effects of chronic drug use on specific cognitive processes. These findings would have considerable clinical and scientific import. As a secondary aim, we plan to investigate associations among relevant, and understudied, demographic variables, including depressive symptoms, childhood behavioral disorders and anxiety symptomatology. Furthermore, we intend to examine the role of race/ethnicity, gender and family history of SUDs. To facilitate this secondary aim, we have instituted plans to over-sample American Indians (Al), African American (AA) and female participants.