Vulnerability to Drug Use & HIV: Advancing Prevention for Rural African Americans

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Center for Translational and Prevention Science (CTAPS) was funded in 2009 to inform the development of prevention programs for rural African American youth through investigations of gene environment (G-E) interplay on drug use and HIV-related behavior. The proposed continuation augments CTAPS' scientific agenda to better address racial disparities in drug use and HIV-related behavior that affect rural African Americans. Emerging research suggests that exposure to chronic stress affects the functioning of inflammatory, neuroendocrine, and neurocognitive systems beginning in childhood and adolescence. The negative consequences of chronic stress affect health-related behaviors and forecast chronic diseases of aging. Emerging evidence suggests that these processes also may affect youth and young adults' development of drug misuse and HIV related behavior. The Center will sponsor a new generation of research on (a) the neuroendocrine, inflammatory, and neurocognitive pathways through which exposure to stress among rural African American youth and young adults creates vulnerabilities to drug use and HIV related behavior, (b), the malleable risk and protective processes that affect underlying vulnerability mechanisms , and (c) the translation of findings into new and refined preventive interventions for youth in general and rural African American youth in particular. The CTAPS will pursue these scientific goals via providing infrastructure for three support cores (Inflammation/Neuroendocrine, Neurocognitive, Biostatistics) that will enrich data from data from Core projects and pilot projects and a Pilot Core. CTAPS will facilitate communication among Center-affiliated investigators, support core directors, and core project PIs; oversee administration of Center-wide budgets and operations; provide infrastructure and administrative support for three support cores and a Pilot Core. CTAPS will spur progress via a transdisciplinary work group system designed to facilitate transdisciplinary collaboration and to organize the allocation of Center resources and disseminate research findings to multiple stakeholders including researchers, policy makers, educational organizations, and the public.