HIV/Cocaine Neurotoxicity in Females

描述：(由申请人提供)本提案中概述的研究职业奖励(RCA/K02)计划将适用于 作为我研究事业发展的合乎逻辑的延伸和关键支持 肯塔基大学女性健康/药物滥用专业。具体来说，我 建议获得更多培训，以延长我的NIDA资助 关于女性静脉吸毒(IDU)将艾滋病毒包括在内的研究 模特。这种跨学科的努力是必不可少的，因为IDU是一个主要的 艾滋病毒感染的危险因素。女性吸毒者是增长最快的 美国艾滋病毒阳性个体的数量。目前，有一种稀缺的 接受过神经病毒学和药物滥用模型培训的神经科学家。 由这个RCA产生的教学任务的释放时间将允许我 有机会对注射吸毒者和艾滋病毒进行一段时间的密集研究 神经生物学。这次培训将加强我在这方面的研究努力 通过允许我与具有传染性的HIV+细胞和组织一起工作，我的工作领域不断扩大。这个 本申请中提出的具体研究计划是两个NIDA的一部分 受资助的R01项目，这些项目共同构成了主要的问题：是生物的 女性对(重复)可卡因反应的性别差异 艾滋病毒引起的神经毒性？假设是：雌激素将起到 反复静脉注射可卡因复合作用的保护剂 给药和gp120/TAT神经毒性。在这个项目中，首先，我们将 确定类固醇激素是否具有神经保护作用 Gp120/Tat和可卡因对培养的人胎神经元的影响。第二，我 计划将我们的啮齿动物模型扩展到人类HIV+脑组织工作中。这些 建议的研究将有助于申请者的科学发展。 在妇女健康和药物滥用领域，并进一步了解 关于艾滋病毒在这一人群中的神经毒性。此培训对以下各项至关重要 我的研究事业进展(因为大鼠不会患上艾滋病)，而这个RCA将 允许我释放时间来批判性地检验我的艾滋病研究假说 男性和女性吸毒者的脑组织。

DESCRIPTION: (Provided by Applicant) The research career award (RCA/K02) plan outlined in this proposal will serve as a logical extension and critical support of my research career development in Women's Health/Drug Abuse at the University of Kentucky. Specifically, I propose to obtain additional training in order to extend my NIDA-funded research concerning intravenous drug abuse (IDU) in females to include HIV in the model. Such a cross-disciplinary effort is essential, as IDU is a major risk factor for HIV infection. Women IDU represent the fastest growing population of HIV positive individuals in the US. Currently, there is a paucity of neuroscientists with training in neurovirology and drug abuse models. Release time from teaching duties generated by this RCA will allow me the opportunity for a period of intensive research focus on IDU and HIV neurobiology. This training will strengthen my research efforts in this fast growing area by allowing me to work with infectious HIV+ cells and tissues. The specific research program proposed in this application is part of two NIDA funded R01 projects which together pose the major question: Are biological gender differences in responsiveness to (repeated) cocaine predisposing females to HIV-induced neurotoxicity? The hypothesis is: Estrogens will act as protective agents for the combined effects of repeated IV cocaine administration and gp120/Tat neurotoxicity. In this project, first, we will determine whether steroid hormones are neuroprotective against the combined effects of gp120/Tat and cocaine in cultured human fetal neurons. Second, I plan to extend our rodent model into work with human HIV+ brain tissue. These proposed studies will contribute to the scientific development of the applicant in the area of women's health and drug abuse and further our knowledge with regard to HIV neurotoxicity in this population. This training is essential to my research career progression (as rats do not develop AIDS) and this RCA will allow me the release time to critically test my research hypothesis in AIDS brain tissue from male and female drug abusers.