U.S./Costa Rica Neuropsychiatric Genetics Research Training Program

哥斯达黎加在过去的五十年里发展迅速，在中部地区生活水平最高。 美国参考尽管取得了这些成就，但重大的健康问题继续严重影响着该国。这些 疾病，神经精神/神经发育障碍，如精神分裂症，双相情感障碍， 进行性痴呆造成了特别的负担。随着寿命的延长，这些疾病需要逐渐 提供更多的资源来充分治疗他们。此外，虽然医疗保健及其基础设施大大 尽管情况有所改善，但在发展独立的可持续哥斯达黎加方面没有取得同样的进展- 基于研究和科学家。这个应用程序的目标是提供资金，继续这一非常成功的 程序.尽管我们成功地为哥斯达黎加大学培训了医学科学家 自2002年福格蒂资助的培训计划开始以来，我们已经确定了需要改进的地方 在几个领域，并将在目前的项目中实施：一个目标是为博士生提供培训， 学生，谁现在将完全融入生物医学研究生课程，并将专注于 这些慢性神经发育障碍的遗传学。虽然他们的基础训练将在遗传学，我们 认识到遗传学不是铁板一块的，而是需要生物学背景的知识。因此，我们也将 鼓励我们的博士生利用我们的全方位的潜在学术课程， 培训中心和附属计划在我们的大学，以补充他们的遗传训练。我们还将 将博士后计划限制在使用三个最需要的表型来识别各种表型的培训上。 哥斯达黎加大学研究方案的技术方法和 与衰老和神经退行性疾病相关的临床评估。表型变量 感兴趣的是神经影像学，神经病理学和认知测试和临床经验将在测量 以及评估与衰老相关的痴呆症和认知能力下降。随着新的发展， 与精神分裂症和双相情感障碍相关的表型发展，我们还将适应有针对性的迷你- 精神病学和心理学研究人员的奖学金。 相关性（参见说明）： 在哥斯达黎加，我们已经确定神经发育障碍是严重的、未充分研究的健康问题。 预防和治疗这些疾病的可持续发展的最大障碍之一是缺乏 哥斯达黎加研究这些疾病的科学家，特别是在遗传学领域。为了克服这个问题 这项赠款扩展了我们目前的哥斯达黎加培训计划，包括遗传学的研究， 神经发育障碍

Costa Rica has progressed rapidly in the last fifty years and has the highest standard of living in Central America. Despite these gains significant health problems continue to severely impact the country. Of these illnesses, neuropsychiatric/neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and progressive dementias pose a particular burden. With increasing longevity these illness require progressively greater resources to adequately treat them. Additionally, while health care and its infrastructure has greatly improved, there has not been the same progress in the development of independent sustainable Costa Rica- based research and scientists. This application's goal is to provide funding to continue this very successful program. Although we have been successful in training medical scientists for the University of Costa Rica since the inception of our Fogarty-funded training program in 2002, we have identified needed improvements in several areas and will implement them in the current project: One goal is to provide training for Ph.D students, who will now be fully integrated in the Biomedical Graduate Program and will focus on the genetics of these chronic neurodevelopmental disorders. While their base training will be in genetics, we recognize that genetics is not monolithic but requires knowledge ofthe biological context. Thus we will also encourage our Ph.D trainees to take advantage of the full range of potential academic programs at our training center and affiliated programs at our university, to complement their genetic training. We will also limit the post doctoral program to training in identifying a variety of phenotypes using the three most needed technological approaches for the research program at the University of Costa Rica and additional training in clinical assessments related to disorders of aging and neurodegeneration. The phenotyping variables of interest are neuroimaging, neuropathology and cognitive testing and clinical experiences will be in measuring and assessing dementias and cognitive declines associated with aging. As new developments in phenotyping related to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder develop, we will also accommodate targeted mini- fellowships for psychiatric and psychologic researchers as well. RELEVANCE (See instructions): We have identified neurodevelopmental disorders as serious, understudied health problems in Costa Rica. One ofthe biggest impediments to sustainable advances to prevent and treat these illnesses are the lack of Costa Rican Scientist studying these illnesses, especially in the area of genetics. To overcome this problem this grant extends our current Costa Rican Training Program to include the study ofthe genetics of neurodevelopmental disorders.