Vulnerability to Drug Use & HIV: Advancing Prevention for Rural African Americans

描述（由申请人提供）：转化和预防科学中心（CTAPS）成立于2009年，旨在通过研究基因环境（G-E）对药物使用和艾滋病相关行为的相互作用，为非洲裔美国农村青年预防项目的发展提供信息。拟议的延续扩大了CTAPS的科学议程，以更好地解决影响非洲裔美国农村人的药物使用和艾滋病毒相关行为方面的种族差异。新兴研究表明，暴露于慢性压力会影响儿童和青少年时期炎症、神经内分泌和神经认知系统的功能。慢性应激的负面影响影响与健康相关的行为，并预测老年慢性疾病。新出现的证据表明，这些过程也可能影响青少年和年轻人滥用药物和艾滋病毒相关行为的发展。该中心将资助新一代的研究(a)神经内分泌、炎症和神经认知途径，通过这些途径，非洲裔美国农村青年和年轻人暴露在压力下，对吸毒和艾滋病毒相关行为产生脆弱性；(b)影响潜在脆弱性机制的可延展性风险和保护过程；(c)将调查结果转化为针对一般青年，特别是非洲裔美国农村青年的新的和改进的预防性干预措施。CTAPS将通过为三个支持核心（炎症/神经内分泌、神经认知、生物统计学）提供基础设施来实现这些科学目标，这些支持核心将从核心项目和试点项目以及试点核心的数据中丰富数据。CTAPS将促进中心下属研究人员之间的沟通，支持核心主任和核心项目pi；监督中央预算和业务的管理；为三个支持核心和一个试点核心提供基础设施和管理支持。CTAPS将通过一个跨学科工作组系统来促进跨学科合作，组织中心资源的分配，并将研究成果传播给包括研究人员、政策制定者、教育机构和公众在内的多个利益相关者。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Center for Translational and Prevention Science (CTAPS) was funded in 2009 to inform the development of prevention programs for rural African American youth through investigations of gene environment (G-E) interplay on drug use and HIV-related behavior. The proposed continuation augments CTAPS' scientific agenda to better address racial disparities in drug use and HIV-related behavior that affect rural African Americans. Emerging research suggests that exposure to chronic stress affects the functioning of inflammatory, neuroendocrine, and neurocognitive systems beginning in childhood and adolescence. The negative consequences of chronic stress affect health-related behaviors and forecast chronic diseases of aging. Emerging evidence suggests that these processes also may affect youth and young adults' development of drug misuse and HIV related behavior. The Center will sponsor a new generation of research on (a) the neuroendocrine, inflammatory, and neurocognitive pathways through which exposure to stress among rural African American youth and young adults creates vulnerabilities to drug use and HIV related behavior, (b), the malleable risk and protective processes that affect underlying vulnerability mechanisms , and (c) the translation of findings into new and refined preventive interventions for youth in general and rural African American youth in particular. The CTAPS will pursue these scientific goals via providing infrastructure for three support cores (Inflammation/Neuroendocrine, Neurocognitive, Biostatistics) that will enrich data from data from Core projects and pilot projects and a Pilot Core. CTAPS will facilitate communication among Center-affiliated investigators, support core directors, and core project PIs; oversee administration of Center-wide budgets and operations; provide infrastructure and administrative support for three support cores and a Pilot Core. CTAPS will spur progress via a transdisciplinary work group system designed to facilitate transdisciplinary collaboration and to organize the allocation of Center resources and disseminate research findings to multiple stakeholders including researchers, policy makers, educational organizations, and the public.