Neuropsychological Effects of Binge-Smoked Cocaine

描述（由申请人提供）：项目摘要：已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显著的认知缺陷。然而，过去的准实验性研究得出了不同的结果，没有进行过实验性研究来检查可卡因狂欢的神经心理影响，这是一种常见的滥用模式。这个指导研究科学家奖的目标是提高Nehal P. Vadhan博士的实验研究技能。2005年7月，Vadhan博士加入哥伦比亚大学药物滥用系，担任精神病学临床心理学助理教授。为了获得行为药理学技术的便利，并成为一名独立的药物滥用研究人员，Vadhan博士将需要指导和正式的课程工作。在Richard W.在Foltin和其他高级研究人员的指导下，Vadhan博士将接受在人类实验室中进行精神活性物质研究的方法论，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，生物统计学以及神经生物学的当前概念和理论的培训。在接下来的五年里，Vadhan博士计划对人类滥用者吸食可卡因的神经心理学影响进行指导研究。他的申请提出了三项研究：一项横断面研究，比较了可卡因使用者的神经心理功能，这些可卡因使用者以前有过高水平和低水平的可卡因使用经验，以非可卡因使用对照组，以及两项实验研究，其中将在可卡因依赖的人类志愿者中检查神经心理功能，而他们在实验室中不同长度的狂欢期间和禁欲期间吸食可卡因。这些研究将包括对可卡因“暴饮暴食”的神经心理学影响进行系统和全面的调查，并将确定值得临床特别注意的可卡因使用模式。该培训计划将使Vadhan博士能够发展独立的临床和实验研究事业，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。了解这些影响也有助于对可卡因滥用者进行临床治疗。

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.