Development of near-infrared spectroscopy to study drug addiction

描述(由申请人提供)：我们建议通过确定近红外光谱(NIRS)定位与成瘾相关过程相关的血流模式的忠实性，促进近红外光谱(NIRS)技术的使用和解释。重要的是，这些近红外信号将与成瘾的行为测量(例如，自我管理)实时地同时收集。目前，使用功能磁共振(FMRI)来研究小型哺乳动物是困难的，对于大多数研究人员来说相对不切实际。我们的 目标是提供一种“穷人的”功能成像设备，它将以适度的成本获得，并且容易获得和易于实施。简单地说，我们的目的是迅速增加我们关于动物血流变化的知识库，这些知识库可以很容易地转化为理解人类对药物相关信息的处理。在拟议的研究中，我们将使用包括NIRS、MFI和静脉注射可卡因在内的多方面方法来确定NIRS局部评估是否是确定血流变化的有用的fMRI替代方法。我们将把NIRS方法的效用扩展到积极自我注射可卡因的自由活动动物。这一方法的意义和创新与CEBRA相关，因为创新技术的发展迅速推进了我们对动物模型中血流变化的理解。建议的目标： *具体目标1。建立fMRI和NIRS检测到的血流变化的相似性。 *具体目标二：确定我们是否可以使用近红外光谱实时监测自由活动的动物的神经元活动。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to advance the use and interpretation of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technology by determining the faithfulness to which NIRS localizes patterns of blood flow relevant to addiction-related processes. Importantly, these NIRS signals will be simultaneously collected with behavioral measures of addiction (e.g., self-administration) in real-time. Currently, the use of functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) for the study of small mammals is difficult and relatively impractical for the majority of researchers. Our goal is to provide a "poor man's" functional imaging device that will be available for a modest cost and is readily accessible and easy to implement. Simply stated, our intent is to rapidly increase our knowledge base about blood flow changes in animals that could be readily translated to understanding human processing of drug-related information. In the proposed research, we will use a multi-faceted approach including NIRS, MFI, and intravenous self- administration of cocaine to determine whether localized assessment with NIRS is a useful alternative to fMRI to determine changes in blood flow. We will extend the utility of the NIRS approach to freely moving animals that are actively self-administering cocaine. Both the significance and innovation of this approach is relevant for the CEBRA due to the development of innovative technology to rapidly advance our understanding of blood flow change in animal models. Aims Proposed: * Specific Aim 1. To establish the similarities in blood flow changes detected by fMRI and NIRS. * Specific Aim II: To determine whether we can use NIRS to monitor neuronal activity in real-time in freely moving animals.