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Brain Morbidity in Treatment-Naive Alcoholics

Award Number: R01AA013659
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/01/2002
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2015

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Brain Morbidity in Treatment-Naive Alcoholics - DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In the first five years of work, we showed that the study of convenience samples of treated alcoholics embody a bias, called `Berkson's Fallacy', in that treated individuals with AD differ from treatment naive individuals with AD in the general population, who comprise the majority of alcoholics. We studied 21-50 year old actively drinking treatment naive AD (TNAD) and age and gender comparable controls, and compared them to our other ongoing study of long-term abstinent treated AD (ATAD). We showed that with regard to alcohol intake in the initial period after starting abusive drinking, TNAD were not simply treated AD observed earlier in the progression of the disease, but rather comprise a subpopulation with lower initial heavy alcohol consumption than ATAD. Regarding psychiatric comorbidity, we showed that TNAD had more psychiatric disorder than non-alcoholic controls (NAC), but less psychiatric disorder that ATAD. We also showed that TNAD have more normal brain structure on MRI than ATAD, and that TNAD are cognitively normal despite active heavy drinking. In the current proposal, we will study TNAD 35--60 years of age, most of whom would have drank abusively for longer periods (and have a much higher total lifetime alcohol intake) than our former TNAD. The major goals of the proposed research are: 1) to determine whether 35-60 year old TNAD differ in brain structure and function from age-comparable NAC, and from both short- and long-term ATAD (to be available from our pending project); 2) to determine whether 35-60 year old TNAD differ from NAC and from both short- and long-term ATAD in the presence and severity of comorbid mood, anxiety, and externalizing disorder diagnoses, symptoms and traits; 3) to determine the factors associated with impairments in brain structure and function in TNAD (including presence and severity of comorbid mood, anxiety, and externalizing disorder diagnoses, symptoms and traits, premorbid brain size as a measure of functional reserve (as indexed by intracranial vault volume on MRI), the pattern and severity of drinking, the frequency of withdrawal symptoms (including severity), and predisposing factors such as the family history of alcohol problems or electrophysiological and behavioral end phenotypic alcoholism markers)); 4) to determine whether men and women differ in these comparisons; and 5) to determine the effect of concomitant drug abuse/dependence on these comparisons. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE We have previously shown that 30-year old treatment-naive alcohol dependent individuals are intermediate between non-alcoholic controls and treated alcoholics. In the current proposal, we plan to continue this work, studying 35 - 60 year old treatment naive alcohol dependent individuals. Such individuals should have a much greater lifetime alcohol burden than the 30 year old samples studied previously. Additionally, we are including a sample of treatment-naive drug and alcohol dependent individuals, to provide greater generalizabilty to the U.S. population, and test the hypothesis that concomitant drug dependence is associated with more severe AD, greater psychiatric comorbidity, and greater cognitive and brain structural morbidity in treatment naive AD. These middle-aged TNAD comprise about 40% of all alcoholics, and the great majority never seek treatment. Since most studies of alcoholism in the U.S. use convenience samples of alcoholics in treatment (a minority of all alcoholics), the proposed studies are essential to understand the impact of AD on the US population.


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: 2014 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2014	2012	NEUROBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, INC	1325 S KIHEI ROAD	KIHEI	CA	96753		USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	10	6/11/2014	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2012 ( Subtotal = $726,093 )
2012	2012	NEUROBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, INC	201 Tamal Vista Blvd # 200	Corte Madera	CA	94925	MARIN	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	001	10	7/24/2012	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$694,265
2012	2012	NEUROBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, INC	201 Tamal Vista Blvd # 200	Corte Madera	CA	94925	MARIN	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	9	5/24/2012	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$31,828
														Subtotal = $726,093

Issue Date FY: 2011 ( Subtotal = $637,953 )
2011	2011	NEUROBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, INC	201 Tamal Vista Blvd # 200	Corte Madera	CA	94925	MARIN	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	9	8/9/2011	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$637,953
														Subtotal = $637,953

Issue Date FY: 2010 ( Subtotal = $648,583 )
2010	2010	NEUROBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, INC	201 Tamal Vista Blvd # 200	Corte Madera	CA	94925	MARIN	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	8	8/10/2010	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$648,583
														Subtotal = $648,583

Issue Date FY: 2009 ( Subtotal = $640,270 )
2009	2009	NEUROBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, INC	201 Tamal Vista Blvd # 200	Corte Madera	CA	94925	MARIN	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	001	7	8/31/2009	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$640,270
2009	2008	NEUROBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, INC	45 GABLE COURT	SAN RAFAEL	CA	94903	MARIN	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	6	12/18/2008	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $640,270

Issue Date FY: 2008 ( Subtotal = $620,924 )
2008	2008	NEUROBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, INC	45 GABLE COURT	SAN RAFAEL	CA	94903	MARIN	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	6	9/30/2008	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$620,924
														Subtotal = $620,924

Issue Date FY: 2006 ( Subtotal = $648,353 )
2006	2006	NEUROBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, INC	45 GABLE COURT	SAN RAFAEL	CA	94903	MARIN	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	5	5/19/2006	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$648,353
														Subtotal = $648,353

Issue Date FY: 2005 ( Subtotal = $644,619 )
2005	2005	NEUROBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, INC	45 GABLE COURT	SAN RAFAEL	CA	94903	MARIN	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	4	5/16/2005	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$644,619
														Subtotal = $644,619

Issue Date FY: 2004 ( Subtotal = $625,843 )
2004	2004	NEUROBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, INC	45 GABLE COURT	SAN RAFAEL	CA	94903	MARIN	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	3	5/26/2004	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$625,843
														Subtotal = $625,843

Issue Date FY: 2003 ( Subtotal = $607,614 )
2003	2003	NEUROBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, INC	45 GABLE COURT	SAN RAFAEL	CA	94903	MARIN	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	2	5/30/2003	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$607,614
														Subtotal = $607,614

Issue Date FY: 2002 ( Subtotal = $582,331 )
2002	2002	NEUROBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, INC	45 GABLE COURT	SAN RAFAEL	CA	94903	MARIN	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	1	4/25/2002	NEW	$582,331
														Subtotal = $582,331

Grand Total All Awards = $6,382,583

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Brain Morbidity in Treatment-Naive Alcoholics

Award Number: R01AA013659

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/01/2002

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2015

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