Mechanisms that mediate the link between lead exposure and child behavior problem

描述（由申请人提供） 我们目前缺乏知识的中介机制，铅暴露转化为儿童行为问题的增加。这个K 02独立科学家发展奖的应用程序将使候选人开发研究的跨学科计划，其总体目标是揭示潜在的铅的认知和情感的行动机制，行为问题的关系在社区儿童的大样本。这项研究计划质疑目前CDC的“安全”标准10微克/分升的铅，并假设，早期亚临床铅暴露的结果在负面的临床，认知和情感功能。 在NIEHS资助的社区学前队列研究的基础上，研究人员将首先建议重复测量血铅水平和行为结果，以评估持续亚临床血铅水平的儿童是否特别有可能发展外化行为问题。其次，研究者的目标是了解铅暴露如何与社会风险因素相互作用，诱发外化行为问题。第三，也是重要的一点，他们建议阐明神经认知和情感介导机制，通过这些机制，学龄前铅暴露有助于青春期早期的外化行为问题。该K 02将有助于培养候选人实现这些研究目标的能力，为她提供受保护的时间，与该领域的高级科学家更密切地合作，更充分地参与她的NIH资助的国际研究项目，并提高她在发展心理病理学，环境毒性，心理生理测试和高级统计分析方面的跨学科知识和技能。从程序上讲，K 02将使她有时间开发一种预防和治疗铅暴露儿童行为问题的营养干预措施，从而使她进入预防和干预行为问题的跨学科研究的新领域。因此，这项研究计划有可能帮助重新定义什么水平的铅暴露是安全的，确定迄今未知的行动机制，并减少整个社区的儿童行为问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant) We currently lack knowledge on the intermediary mechanisms whereby lead exposure translates itself into increased behavior problems in childhood. This K02 Independent Scientist Development Award application will enable the candidate to develop an interdisciplinary program of research whose overarching goal is to uncover the cognitive and affective mechanisms of action underlying lead exposure-behavior problems relationship in a large sample of community children. This research program questions the current CDC "safe" standard of 10 ug/dl of lead, and hypothesizes that early sub-clinical lead exposure results in negative clinical, cognitive, and affective functioning. Building on an NIEHS-funded community preschool cohort study, the investigators will first propose to repeat measurements of both blood lead levels and behavioral outcomes to assess whether children with sustained sub-clinical blood lead levels across time are especially likely to develop externalizing behavior problems. Second, the investigators aim to understand how lead exposure interacts with social risk factors in predisposing to externalizing behavior problems. Third, and importantly, they propose to elucidate the neurocognitive and affective mediating mechanisms by which lead exposure during the preschool years contribute to externalizing behavior problems in early adolescence. This K02 will help foster the candidate's ability to achieve these research goals by providing her with protected time to collaborate more closely with senior scientists in the field, to be more fully engaged in her NIH- funded international research project on this sample, and to enhance her interdisciplinary knowledge and skills in development psychopathology, environmental toxicity, psycho-physiological testing, and advanced statistical analysis. Programmatically, the K02 will be of critical value in moving her into a new line of interdisciplinary research on prevention and intervention of behavior problems by giving her time to develop a nutritional intervention for preventing and treating behavior problems in lead-exposed children. This research program consequently has the potential to help redefine what level of lead exposure is safe, identify hitherto unknown mechanisms of action, and reduce childhood behavior problems throughout the community.