Neurobiological Underpinnings of Cognitive Deficits in Neurodevelopmental Disorde

描述（由申请人提供）：本申请是NIMH K23指导患者导向研究职业发展奖。该奖项将为完成申请中概述的拟议职业发展和研究活动提供必要的资源。简而言之，申请人建议获得必要的专业知识，使自己成为一名独立的研究者，探索儿童行为和神经发育障碍（如多动症）的发育神经生物学。申请人将与她的导师团队一起实现以下三个培训目标：培训目标1：获得在发展框架内进行ADHD认知功能研究的知识和技能。培训目标2：培养必要的技能，以实施使用功能磁共振成像方法的研究，以检查与多动症认知过程相关的皮质活动的变化。培训目标3：培养将功能磁共振成像技术与药理学操作（即胆碱能药物挑战）相结合的技能，以检查与胆碱能系统操作相关的认知功能变化相关的脑激活模式的变化。在完成此CDA后，申请人将具备必要的技能、专业知识和初步数据，以获得资金（即NIH R01），以发展她的研究项目，探索ADHD等疾病中认知功能障碍的胆碱能机制，这些机制传统上是使用其他神经化学模型进行研究的。公共卫生相关性：这一新颖的研究方向将为ADHD的神经生物学提供更广泛的理解，将进一步加深我们对ADHD认知过程发展轨迹的理解，并可能指导ADHD新药物治疗的发展。此外，从这项研究中获得的知识可能有助于理解青少年和成人多动症患者的高吸烟率。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application is for a NIMH K23 Mentored Patient Oriented Research Career Development Award. This award would provide the resources necessary to complete the proposed Career Development and Research Activities as outlined in the application. Briefly, the applicant proposes to gain the expertise necessary to establish herself as an independent investigator exploring the developmental neurobiology of child behavior and neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD. The applicant will work with her team of mentors to achieve the following three training goals: Training Goal 1: Acquire the knowledge and skills to conduct studies of cognitive function in ADHD within a developmental framework. Training Goal 2: Develop the necessary skills to implement studies using fMRI methodologies to examine changes in cortical activity associated with cognitive processes in ADHD. Training Goal 3: Develop the skills to combine the techniques of fMRI and pharmacological manipulations (i.e. cholinergic drug challenge) to examine the changes in patterns of brain activation related to changes in cognitive function associated with manipulations of the cholinergic system. Upon the completion of this CDA, the applicant will have the necessary skills, expertise, and preliminary data to secure funding (i.e. NIH R01) to develop her research program exploring cholinergic mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction in disorders such as ADHD, which have traditionally been studied using other neurochemical models. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This novel line of research will provide a broader understanding of the neurobiology of ADHD, will further our understanding of the developmental trajectory of cognitive process in ADHD, and may guide the development of new pharmacological treatments for ADHD. In addition, the knowledge gained from this study may contribute to understanding the high rates of smoking in adolescents and adults with ADHD.