HIV/Cocaine Neurotoxicity in Females

描述：（申请人提供） 本提案中概述的研究职业奖励（RCA/K02）计划将用于 作为我研究职业发展的逻辑延伸和关键支持 在肯塔基州大学的妇女健康/药物滥用。我特别 我建议获得额外的培训，以扩大我的NIDA资助 关于女性静脉注射药物滥用的研究， 该模型这种跨学科的努力是必不可少的，因为注射吸毒是一个主要的 艾滋病毒感染的危险因素。女性注射吸毒者是增长最快的 美国艾滋病病毒阳性人群。目前， 在神经病毒学和药物滥用模型方面受过训练的神经科学家。 释放时间从教学职责产生的这一RCA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深入研究 神经生物学这次培训将加强我的研究工作，在这个快速 通过允许我与感染性HIV+细胞和组织一起工作，的 本申请中提出的具体研究计划是两个NIDA的一部分 资助的R01项目共同提出了一个主要问题： 对（重复）可卡因易感女性的反应性的性别差异 艾滋病引起的神经毒性假设是：雌激素将充当 重复静脉注射可卡因的联合作用的保护剂 给药和gp120/达特神经毒性。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/达特和可卡因对培养的人胎神经元的作用二我 计划将我们的啮齿动物模型扩展到人类HIV+脑组织。这些 拟议的研究将有助于申请人的科学发展 在妇女健康和药物滥用领域， 艾滋病病毒的神经毒性。这项培训对于 我的研究事业进展（因为老鼠不会患艾滋病），这个RCA将 请允许我用这段时间来批判性地检验我对艾滋病的研究假设 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.