Interdisciplinary Research on Stress, Self-Control & Addiction

描述（由申请人提供）：吸烟、饮酒和过度食用富含脂肪和高脂肪的“舒适”食品是当今美国可预防的死亡和疾病的三大原因。不顾严重的健康、社会和法律后果，持续和强迫性地沉迷于这些上瘾是一个共同特征。新出现的数据表明，自我控制机制是使这种强迫性参与成瘾行为永久化的关键。压力在成瘾、其他精神疾病和许多慢性疾病中起着关键作用，也会促进自我控制的缺失。虽然有关于压力与成瘾、压力与精神疾病、压力与慢性疾病之间联系的研究，但关于压力、自我控制和成瘾之间相互作用的系统研究却很少。压力、自我控制和成瘾之间的这种三方相互作用是复杂的，需要一个跨学科（ID）的概念框架，以及基于协作团队的研究方法，包括多个大脑、身体、行为和社会系统。因此，我们提议成立一个关于压力、自我控制和成瘾的跨学科研究联盟（IRCSSA），该联盟汇集了50多名顶尖科学家，他们从事与美国国立卫生研究院（NIMH、NIA、NIDA、NIAAA、NHLBI、NCI、NICHD、NIDDK、NIEHS、NINDS、NIDCD）相关的研究。这些专家代表了5所学校（医学、艺术与科学、管理、护理和公共卫生）和3个学术机构的20个学科，他们将作为一个团队合作：(a)确定吸烟、饮酒和暴饮暴食等成瘾行为中压力相关的自我控制影响发展的潜在机制；(B)评估慢性应激和成瘾的病理生理中的自我控制机制，以及(C)制定社会、行为和药物策略来增强自我控制并减少这些成瘾行为。这些目标将通过动物模型（非人类灵长类动物和啮齿动物）和包括儿童和成人在内的人类研究来实现。实现这些目标将对降低每一种疾病造成的发病率和死亡率产生直接影响。目标将通过以下具体目标来实现：(1)建立一个跨学科研究联盟，汇集领先的生物学、行为学和社会学科学家，研究压力、自我控制和成瘾行为的潜在机制；(2)开展计划性的、以团队为基础的合作研究，以了解促进和维持强迫性吸烟、饮酒和暴饮暴食的压力和自我控制的潜在过程；(3)制定新的社会、行为和药物防治策略，减轻压力，增强自我控制，预防和减少成瘾行为；(4)促进对压力、自我控制、成瘾及相关慢性疾病的跨学科合作研究感兴趣的学生和科学家的职业发展和指导；(5)向专业人士和公众传播研究成果，包括与社区合作，共同解决压力、自我控制和成瘾行为研究引发的新社会、卫生政策和生物伦理问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and overconsumption of rich and high fat 'comfort' foods are the top three causes of preventable death and disease in the US today. The persistent and compulsive engagement in these addictions despite serious health, social and legal consequences is a common feature. Emerging data indicate that self control mechanisms are critical in perpetuating this compulsive engagement in addictive behaviors. Stress, which plays a key role in addiction, other psychiatric illnesses and in many chronic diseases, also facilitates lapses in self control. Although research on the links between stress and addiction, stress and psychiatric disorders and stress and chronic diseases exists, systematic research on the interactions between stress, self control and addiction have been rare. This three-way interplay between stress, self control and addiction is complex, and requires an interdisciplinary (ID) conceptual framework with collaborative team-based approaches of study that include the multiple brain, body, behavioral and social systems. We therefore propose an interdisciplinary research consortium on stress, self control and addiction (IRCSSA) that brings together over 50 leading scientists who conduct research relevant to a number of NIH Institutes (NIMH, NIA, NIDA, NIAAA, NHLBI, NCI, NICHD, NIDDK, NIEHS, NINDS, NIDCD). These experts representing 20 disciplines that span 5 schools (Medicine, Arts and Sciences, Management, Nursing and Public Health) and three academic Institutions will collaborate as a team to: (A) identify mechanisms underlying the development of stress-related effects on self-control in the addictive behaviors of smoking, drinking and overeating; (B) evaluate self-control mechanisms in the pathophysiology of chronic stress and addiction, and (C) develop social, behavioral and pharmacological strategies to increase self-control and decrease these addictive behaviors. These goals will be accomplished using animal models (non-human primate and rodents) and human studies that include children and adults. Achieving these goals will have a direct impact in reducing morbidity and mortality resulting from each of these disorders. The goals will be achieved by addressing the following specific aims: (1) To establish an interdisciplinary research consortium by bringing together leading biological, behavioral and social scientists to examine the mechanisms underlying stress, self-control and addictive behaviors; (2) To conduct programmatic, team-based collaborative research to understand the processes underlying stress and self control that promote and maintain compulsive smoking, drinking and overeating; (3) To develop new social, behavioral and pharmacological prevention and treatment strategies to decrease stress, increase self-control and prevent and decrease addictive behaviors; (4) To foster career development and mentoring of interested students and scientists from varied disciplines in collaborative, interdisciplinary research on stress, self control, addiction and related chronic diseases; and (5) To disseminate research findings to professional audiences and the public, including partnering with the community to collaboratively address emerging social, health policy and bioethical issues raised by studies of stress, self-control and addictive behaviors.