Training In Drug Abuse and Brain Imaging

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): As the breadth and depth of multimodal neuroimaging rapidly expands, there is an important need to train individuals on how use the technology to better detect, understand, develop new medications, track and prevent drug abuse. Sophisticated MRI, PET, EEG and Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) techniques can be used to explore the neurobiological bases of drug abuse and dependence. This is a proposal to continue a T32 Institutional postdoctoral Training Program to fill an important training need in the field. The key elements of this Training Program include: two locations (McLean Hospital and MGH); participation by multiple departments from basic science to clinical treatment units; availability of training in several imaging modalities including MR, PET, EEG, NIRS; clinical and preclinical training opportunities with integrated translational research opportunities; rich breadh of NIH funded projects to support the trainees' research; group of well-seasoned mentors who have been working together for the past 9 years of this program; option of four well-defined training tracks including: 1) Technology & Instrumentation, 2) Clinical-Basic, 3) Clinical-Treatment and 4) Translational; well-designed 2-3 year training plans that integrate coursework, responsible conduct of research, lab rotations, paper & grant writing experience and independent research; very successful track record of trainees' securing independent funding upon graduation from the program; successful rate of trainee publications; and extensive institutional support for the program as evidenced by significant upgrades to our 3T and 4T clinical scanners and the addition of a 9.4T animal scanner. Over the past 9 years we have developed and maintained an integrated, multidisciplinary Drug Abuse and Brain Imaging Training Program (DABITP) that currently supports 4 postdoctoral slots; we propose to increase the number of trainees to six slots because the program is consistently full and we have expanded to include the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (at MGH), which brings combined MR-PET imaging training to the program and four new training laboratories at McLean Hospital. The combination of didactic training in brain imaging and psychopharmacology with practical applications in a variety of highly successful research laboratories provides our trainees with the skills to utilize a broad range of brain imaging techniques as they embark on the next decade of research on the addicted brain. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Sophisticated brain imaging techniques are more frequently being used to better detect, understand, develop new medications, track and prevent drug abuse. Over the past 9 years we have built and maintained an integrated, multidisciplinary Drug Abuse and Brain Imaging Training Program (DABITP) that currently supports 4 postdoctoral slots to train individuals how to merge imaging technologies with basic and applied clinical research and translational models of drug abuse in order to meet these important needs. The extensive breadth of credentials of the mentors offers the trainees the best opportunity to learn to apply these skills in order to further our understanding of the neurobiological bases of the addicted brain.