Parallel MRI for Substance Abuse Research

描述（由申请人提供）：此申请是独立科学家奖（K02 DA020569）“药物滥用研究平行MRI”的更新，来自物理学家候选人，并致力于医疗保健研究，包括了解滥用药物对大脑的影响。他的专长是开发快速功能MRI （fMRI）技术，其中包含最小的伪影，包括磁化率伪影。易感性伪影在图像中产生巨大的“空洞”，破坏了许多大脑区域，包括腹侧纹状体、杏仁核、眶额皮质、基底神经节和伏隔核。这些区域对奖励处理和决策至关重要，可能在药物滥用和依赖等成瘾性疾病中发挥作用。在过去的奖励期间，申请人通过获得两项新的R01拨款（DA019912和EB011517），成功地保持了独立的NIH研究资金，以继续他在这些先进的fMRI方法上的工作。申请人也是一项使用功能磁共振成像调查甲基苯丙胺使用者的项目的PI，该项目是由NIDA部分资助的U54专业神经科学研究计划拨款（NS056883）的一部分。此外，该候选人还是其他几个项目的合作者，这些项目使用他的技术通过功能磁共振成像和其他神经精神疾病来研究药物成瘾。此申请的目的是允许候选人至少有75%的保护时间继续他在MRI物理和药物滥用方面的独立研究，指导初级研究人员，并保持道德研究行为的培训。作为他职业发展的一部分，他将为有兴趣成为独立资助的研究人员的初级教师提供指导，这些研究人员使用MRI进行药物滥用研究。他将协助他们准备稿件和撰写拨款，包括担任职业发展奖项的导师。他还将为所有高级药物滥用研究人员提供功能磁共振成像方法，如范式、脉冲序列和处理技术。他还将接受指导，每天与药物滥用研究方面的顶尖专家一起工作，并学习包括静息状态功能磁共振成像在内的新应用。申请人将继续参加MRI方法学、脑成像、神经科学和药物成瘾方面的会议。他还将继续进行负责任的研究行为方面的培训。该候选人将追求以下研究目标：1)开发方法，包括使用“平行传输”和“频谱空间脉冲”进行快速脑功能磁共振成像，减少敏感性伪影，并验证全脑功能磁共振成像的新获取。2)使用该方法研究衰老和使用甲基苯丙胺对大脑“静息状态网络”的影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application is a renewal of an Independent Scientist Award (K02 DA020569) "Parallel MRI for Substance Abuse Research" from a candidate who is a Physicist and has devoted his career to healthcare research including the understanding the effects of drugs of abuse on the brain. His expertise is in developing techniques for rapid functional MRI (fMRI) with minimal artifacts including magnetic susceptibility artifacts. Susceptibility artifacts produce large "holes" in the images, corrupting many brain regions including the ventral striatum, amygdale, orbital frontal cortex, basal ganglia, and nucleus accumbens. These regions are crucial to reward processing and decision-making and are likely to have a role in addictive disorders including substance abuse and dependence. During the past award period the applicant has successfully maintained independent NIH research funding as a PI by receiving two new R01 grants (DA019912 and EB011517) to continue his work on these advanced fMRI methods. The applicant is also the PI of a project to investigate Methamphetamine users with fMRI that is part of a U54 Specialized Neuroscience Research Program grant (NS056883) partially funded by NIDA. Furthermore, the candidate is a collaborator on several other projects that use his techniques to study drug addiction with fMRI and other neuropsychiatric diseases. The goal of this application is to allow the candidate at least 75% protected time to continue his independent research in MRI physics and substance abuse, mentor junior investigators, and maintain training in ethical research conduct. As part of his career development, he will provide mentorship to junior faculty who are interested in becoming independently funded investigators using MRI for drug abuse research. He will assist them with their manuscript preparations and grant writing, including serving as a mentor on career development awards. He will also provide fMRI methods to all of the senior substance abuse researchers, such as paradigms, pulse sequences, and processing techniques. He will also receive mentorship by working daily with leading experts in substance abuse research and learn about new applications including resting state fMRI. The applicant will continue to attend conferences in MRI methodology, brain imaging, neuroscience, and drug addiction. He will also maintain ongoing training in the responsible conduct of research. The candidate will pursue the following research objectives: 1) Develop methodology including the use of "parallel transmission" and "spectral-spatial pulses" for rapid brain fMRI with reduced susceptibility artifacts and validate the novel acquisitions for whole brain fMRI. 2) Use the methodology to study the effects of aging and methamphetamine use on brain "resting state networks."