MARKERS OF RISK FOR NICOTINE DEPENDENCE IN YOUNGSTERS

该子项目是利用 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源。子项目和 研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得主要资金， 因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是 中心，不一定是研究者的机构。 吸烟通常始于青春期，并与显著的社会经济和心理社会负担有关。 有证据表明，抑郁症会增加吸烟的风险，反之亦然。 已经观察到HPA调节的改变与抑郁症和ND相关。基于这一证据，假设HPA活性的改变可能是增加抑郁个体ND风险的中介力量，也可能是非抑郁个体ND风险的中介力量。 在试图确定HPA轴在ND发展中的作用时，重要的是要考虑尼古丁对HPA系统的相互影响。 由于开始吸烟和发展到经常使用尼古丁发生在青春期，这个发育期提供了一个独特的机会，以评估与ND相关的潜在机制，没有许多潜在的混杂变量，可能会发生在成人作为慢性吸烟的结果。 具体目标： 1)研究下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）系统调节异常与开始吸烟或进展为尼古丁依赖（ND）风险之间的关系。 2)评估HPA失调与吸烟开始或发展为ND的风险之间的关联是否受抑郁症的影响。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Cigarette smoking frequently begins in adolescence and is associated with significant socioeconomic and psychosocial burden. There is evidence that depression increases the risk for smoking and vice versa. Alterations in HPA regulation have been observed in association with both depressive illness and ND> Based on this evidence, it is hypothesized that altered HPA activity may be the mediating force in increasing the risk for ND in depressed individuals, and possibly in non-depressed persons as well. In attempting to establish the role of HPA axis on the development of ND, it is important to consider that nicotine has a reciprocal influence on the HPA system. Because initiation of cigarette smoking and progression to regular nicotine use occurs during adolescence, this developmental period offers a unique opportunity to assess the underlying mechanisms associated with ND without many of the potentially confounding variables that might occur in adults as a result of chronic smoking. Specific Aims: 1) To examine the relationship between dysregulation in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system and risk for initiation of cigarette smoking or progression to nicotine dependence (ND). 2) To assess whether the association between HPA dysregulation and risk for smoking initiation or development of ND is influenced by depressive illness.