Biomarkers of Underage Binge Drinking in Maltreated Children

 描述（由申请人提供）：在一生中，每个受虐待的儿童给社会造成的损失超过1200亿美元（USDHHS，2012年）。这一成本的最大份额是由酒精使用引起的监禁，住院和康复的产品。努力 在虐待儿童和酗酒问题上取得进展的努力基本上都失败了。虽然有很好的关于虐待儿童的前瞻性纵向研究（例如，儿童虐待和虐待的纵向研究，Longscan）和酗酒（例如，密歇根纵向研究，MLS），一个缺口仍然在连接这两个重要领域。目前的研究通过识别与酗酒相关的神经轨迹来弥合这一差距， 虐待儿童本研究的优点是使用了Longscan和MLS共同的经过充分验证的措施和方法。这项拟议中的研究向前迈出了一步，因为它是第一个检查大脑通路连接酗酒和虐待儿童。这项研究特别感兴趣的是确定弹性因素，以促进受虐待儿童的积极变化。这项研究有可能在预防和干预方面取得重要进展，并在既定的纵向研究之间建立关键联系。与酗酒和虐待儿童相关的巨大的终身成本使生物标志物成为预防，干预和旨在减少酒精中毒的公共政策举措的主要候选人。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Over the course of a lifetime, each maltreated child costs society more than $120 billion dollars (USDHHS, 2012). The largest share of this cost is a product of incarceration, hospitalization, and rehabilitation stemming from alcohol use. Efforts to make inroads into the problem of child maltreatment and alcohol use have largely failed. While there are excellent prospective longitudinal studies of child maltreatment (e.g., Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse & Neglect, Longscan) and binge drinking (e.g., Michigan Longitudinal Study, MLS), a gap remains in connecting these two important domains. The present investigation bridges this gap by identifying neural trajectories associated with binge drinking in maltreated children. This study has the advantage of using the well-validated measures and methods that are common to both Longscan and the MLS. The proposed research takes a step forward in that it is the first to examine brain pathways linking binge drinking and child maltreatment. This study is particularly interested in identifying resilience factors to foster positive changes for maltreated children. This research has the potential to make vital inroads in prevention and intervention as well as building critical links between established longitudinal studies. The enormous lifetime costs associated with binge drinking and child maltreatment make biomarkers prime candidates in prevention, intervention, and public policy initiatives aimed at reducing alcoholism.