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VULNERABILITY TO THE REINFORCING EFFECTS OF OPIOIDS

Award Number: K01DA013957
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2001
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2006

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VULNERABILITY TO THE REINFORCING EFFECTS OF OPIOIDS - DESCRIPTION: (provided by applicant) Current estimates suggest that there are 600,000 people in need of treatment for heroin addiction. Unfortunately, there is very little scientific data regarding vulnerability to heroin abuse. This makes it extraordinarily difficult to study the biological substrates responsible for the findings that some people exposed to heroin progress to a compulsive and uncontrolled use of the drug, whereas others use heroin several times, and then stop using it. This question is impossible to experimentally evaluate in humans because of the obvious ethical issues involved in exposing drug-naive people to heroin. If animal models are to be used to understand this phenomenon, then appropriate self-administration methods that allow for a differential sensitivity to be expressed need to be developed. Furthermore, if a procedure that screens for this eventual "vulnerability" was used, then biological studies can be conducted in essentially drug-naive animals, allowing the determination of the mechanisms that produce this differential reaction to drugs of abuse. This proposal is designed to investigate the relationship between sensitivity to the analgesic effects of opioids and various measures of the reinforcing effects of opioids (primarily heroin). Once this relationship is established, animals can be screened for "vulnerability" to drug addiction, and extensive neurobiological and biochemical analyses can be conducted in drug-naive animals. In particular, the following questions will be answered over the course of this award: 1. What is the relationship between sensitivity to the analgesic effects and the reinforcing effects of opioids? 2. What are the differences in the localization, characteristics, or coupling efficiency of the opioid system across subgroups (i.e. "vulnerable" or "resistant") of animals? 3. What are the differences in the expression of various genetic markers and proteins in the brain pathways relevant to opioid reinforcement across these subgroups of animals? This series of experiments will provide extensive training for the candidate in the neurobiology and biochemistry of drug abuse, to complement the behavioral background already established. In the end, this research will identify neurobiological, biochemical and genetic determinants of susceptibility to heroin use. An improved understanding of the individual risk of drug addiction will lead to the development of better prevention and treatment strategies.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2005 ( Subtotal = $116,347 )
2005	2005	UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA	PO BOX 113001, 302 TIGERT HALL	GAINESVILLE	FL	32611	ALACHUA	USA	Drug Abuse Scientist Development Awards, Research Scientist Development Awards, and Research Scientist Awards	000	5	9/26/2005	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$116,347
														Subtotal = $116,347

Issue Date FY: 2004 ( Subtotal = $101,212 )
2004	2004	WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES	MEDICAL CENTER BOULEVARD	WINSTON SALEM	NC	27157	FORSYTH	USA	Drug Abuse Scientist Development Awards, Research Scientist Development Awards, and Research Scientist Awards	000	4	3/25/2004	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$101,212
														Subtotal = $101,212

Issue Date FY: 2003 ( Subtotal = $93,906 )
2003	2003	WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES	MEDICAL CENTER BOULEVARD	WINSTON SALEM	NC	27157	FORSYTH	USA	Drug Abuse Scientist Development Awards, Research Scientist Development Awards, and Research Scientist Awards	000	3		OTHER REVISION	$93,906
														Subtotal = $93,906

Issue Date FY: 2002 ( Subtotal = $95,046 )
2002	2002	WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE	MEDICAL CENTER BOULEVARD	WINSTON-SALEM	NC	27157		USA	Drug Abuse Scientist Development Awards, Research Scientist Development Awards, and Research Scientist Awards	000	2	4/5/2002	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$95,046
														Subtotal = $95,046

Issue Date FY: 2001 ( Subtotal = $98,886 )
2001	2001	WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE	MEDICAL CENTER BOULEVARD	WINSTON-SALEM	NC	27157		USA	Drug Abuse Scientist Development Awards, Research Scientist Development Awards, and Research Scientist Awards	000	1	3/26/2001	NEW	$98,886
														Subtotal = $98,886

Grand Total All Awards = $505,397

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VULNERABILITY TO THE REINFORCING EFFECTS OF OPIOIDS

Award Number: K01DA013957

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2001

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2006

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