Neuropsychological Effects of Binge-Smoked Cocaine

描述(由申请人提供)：项目摘要：众所周知，可卡因中毒会导致认知功能改变，通常认为长期滥用会导致临床上严重的认知缺陷。然而，过去的准实验研究得出了喜忧参半的结果，还没有进行实验研究来检验滥用可卡因的一种常见模式对神经心理的影响。这一导师研究科学家奖的目的是提高Nehal P.Vadhan博士不断发展的实验研究技能。2005年7月，Vadhan博士加入哥伦比亚大学药物滥用教研室，担任精神病学临床心理学助理教授。为了熟练掌握行为药理学技术，并成为一名独立的药物滥用研究人员，瓦丹博士需要指导和正规的课程工作。在Richard W.Foltin博士的赞助和其他资深研究人员的指导下，Vadhan博士将就在人体实验室进行精神活性物质研究的方法学、安全性和伦理学、在实验室环境中研究神经心理功能的方法学、生物统计学以及神经生物学的当前概念和理论进行培训。在接下来的五年里，瓦丹博士计划对大量吸食可卡因对人类滥用者的神经心理影响进行指导性研究。他的申请提出了三项研究：一项横断面研究，比较了以前有过高水平和低水平可卡因经验的可卡因使用者与不使用可卡因的对照组的神经心理功能；以及两项实验研究，将检查依赖可卡因的人类志愿者在实验室吸食可卡因的不同时间和戒毒期间的神经心理功能。这些研究将包括对可卡因“暴饮暴食”的神经心理影响进行系统和全面的调查，并将确定需要特别临床关注的可卡因使用模式。这一培训计划将使瓦丹博士能够发展独立的临床和实验研究生涯，专注于他的目标，即了解药物滥用障碍的神经心理学。相关性：拟议的项目将使人们能够更好地了解可卡因对认知能力的影响，这是一个重大的公共卫生问题。了解这种影响也可能有助于临床治疗吸食可卡因的人。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Project Summary: Cocaine intoxication is known to produce alterations in cognitive function and is commonly thought to produce clinically significant cognitive deficits as a consequence of long-term abuse. However, past quasi-experimental studies have yielded mixed findings and no experimental studies have been conducted to examine neuropsychological effects of cocaine bingeing, a common pattern of abuse. The goal of this mentored research scientist award is to enhance the developing experimental research skills of Nehal P. Vadhan, Ph.D. In July, 2005, Dr. Vadhan joined the Division on Substance Abuse faculty at Columbia University as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology in Psychiatry. To gain facility with behavioral pharmacology techniques and become an independent substance abuse researcher, Dr. Vadhan will need mentoring and formal course work. Under the sponsorship of Dr. Richard W. Foltin, and with guidance from other senior researchers, Dr. Vadhan will train in methodology, safety and ethics of conducting research with psychoactive substances in the human laboratory, methodology of studying neuropsychological function in laboratory settings, biostatistics, and current concepts and theory in neurobiology. Over the next five years, Dr. Vadhan plans to conduct mentored research on the neuropsychological effects of binge-smoked cocaine in human abusers. His application proposes three studies: a cross-sectional study comparing neuropsychological function in cocaine users with high and low levels of previous experience with cocaine to a non-cocaine-using control group, and two experimental studies, where neuropsychological function will be examined in cocaine-dependent human volunteers while they smoke cocaine during binges of varying length in the laboratory and during periods of abstinence. These studies will comprise a systematic and comprehensive investigation of the neuropsychological effects of cocaine "bingeing", and will identify patterns of cocaine use that warrant special clinical attention. This training plan will allow Dr. Vadhan to develop an independent clinical and experimental research career focused on his goal to understand the neuropsychology of substance abuse disorders. Relevance: The proposed projects will allow for a greater understanding of cocaine's effects on cognitive ability, an area of significant public health concern. Knowledge of such effects may also assist in clinical treatment of cocaine-abusing individuals.