Training in Drug Abuse and Brain Imaging

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LUKAS, SE Training in Drug Abuse and Imaging T32 DA015036-15 This is a proposal to continue with years 16-20 of a postdoctoral training program in brain imaging and drug and alcohol abuse. We have at our disposal a variety of brain imaging tools that have yielded valuable insights into reward systems and addiction. The need for such a dedicated program is driven by the emergence of new and innovative techniques to view both the anatomical and functional aspects of the brain under a variety of conditions related to drug and alcohol abuse such as: acute intoxicating effects, tracking cue-induced craving, measuring cognitive effects, detecting persistent neurological and cognitive defects, monitoring withdrawal, sleep disturbances, medication compliance, tracking treatment progress and medication development. Because the nature and spectrum of the disciplines involved in imaging are complex, a new breed of scientists with backgrounds in imaging technology, multimodal analyses, neuroscience, pharmacology, addiction medicine and treatment are needed to more fully explore the neurobiological bases of drug abuse and fill the anticipated needs in the United States—our Training Program has been filling this void. Over the past 14 years we have successfully directed an integrated, multidisciplinary Drug Abuse and Brain Imaging Training Program that is supported by the McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School and the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at the MGH. Our program emphasizes both clinical and translational research directives that have solid foundations in magnetic resonance [imaging, functional and spectroscopy], EEG, PET and most recently Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS). The infrastructure of the training program is built around two Siemens 3T clinical scanners (a TIM Trio and a Prisma), a Varian 4T clinical scanner, a 9.4T small bore animal magnet, both low and high density EEG/ERP and an Imagent NIRS system. Both animal and clinical PET is available at our MGH site. Our mentors are well funded by NIDA, NIAAA and NIMH and as such offer a unique breadth of research opportunities for our trainees. Our postdoctoral training program is structured to provide the trainees, over the course of 2 or 3 years, with the basics of imaging techniques, followed by placement in one of four distinct research tracks supporting each trainee's specific career goals: 1) Technology and Instrumentation; 2) Basic-Clinical; 3) Clinical-Treatment; and 4) Translational. In collaboration with the Martinos Center, we offer training in concurrent PET/MRI. 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 how drugs and alcohol affect the brain.