Alcohol Research Training in Neurosciences

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a competitive renewal application for an Alcohol Training Program in Neurosciences at the University of New Mexico (UNM-ARTN). This program is currently ending Year 4 of support. It has had a tremendously positive impact on graduate education at our institution and has increased visibility of alcohol research across campus. The program provides multidisciplinary training that includes molecular biological, biochemical, electrophysiological, imaging and behavioral techniques. The focus of the UNM-ARTN program is to provide training in alcohol neuroscience research. Our group has strengths in three areas of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder research: 1. Basic mechanisms involved in ethanol neuroteratogenesis; 2. Biomarkers of prenatal alcohol exposure; and 3. Therapeutic interventions to ameliorate FASD-related cognitive deficits. In addition, we are investigating the short- and long-term effects of ethanol on mature neuronal circuits in different brain regions. Seven faculty members of the Department of Neurosciences (Allan, Caldwell, Cunninham, Perrone-Bizzozero, Savage, Valenzuela, Zhao) and one member of the Department of Psychology (Hamilton) will be directly involved in the program as core faculty. There have been extensive interactions among the eight members of the core faculty. This is evident by their record of joint publications, co-mentoring of trainees and collaborative grant applications. These individuals will train students from the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program of the Health Sciences Center and students from the Cognition, Brain and Behavior Program of the Psychology Department. The program will support 4 students per year. In addition to the course requirements for each of these programs, predoctoral trainees will be required to complete specific courses (Neurobiology of Alcoholism; Developmental Neurotoxicology; Problem-based Bioethics, Scientific Writing), and participate in the Alcohol Research Journal Club. They will also be required to submit predoctoral NRSA applications. The program will be overseen by Drs. Valenzuela (Director) and Perrone-Bizzozero (Co-Director), an Executive Committee composed of members of the training faculty, and an external advisory committee. We will continue our efforts to recruit underrepresented minorities into the program. Our goal is to provide high quality graduate students with training that will prepare them for a successful future career in alcohol research relevance. This is a competitive renewal application for a program that will support training of graduate students for careers in alcohol neuroscience research. Alcohol is a major public health problem; it is responsible for a large number of illnesses, injuries and deaths in the United States.