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Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia as a Predictor of Substance Use among Early Adolescents

Award Number: R01DA050603
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2021
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2026

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Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia as a Predictor of Substance Use among Early Adolescents - Respiratory sinus arrhythmia as a predictor of substance use among early adolescents Risk behaviors that cause negative health outcomes, such as substance use or sexual risk behaviors, typically begin in adolescence. Identifying those most at risk in early adolescence is critical for prevention interventions. Emotion regulation plays an important role in reducing adolescent risk but detecting those who are vulnerable because of deficits in emotion regulation during early adolescence is challenging due to poor adolescent insight into these still-developing emotional processes. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), an index of heart rate variability that is influenced by the parasympathetic nervous system, is an established marker of emotion regulation processes. RSA does not rely on self-report and may be useful for early identification of risk. Our team has developed a novel virtual reality party task with which to assess emotion regulation patterns in adolescents. Pilot data in our laboratory using this task suggest that adolescents with a history of substance use exhibit slower return to baseline RSA (measured at rest) after exposure to a challenging situation (referred to as recovery RSA) compared to non-using peers. This may suggest that recovery RSA is a relevant index of emotion regulation related to risk behaviors, as emotional triggers often occur in rapid succession in real-world risk situations. The proposed study will prospectively examine RSA's utility in predicting adolescent risk behaviors (substance use and sexual risk) among a sample of 280 early adolescents (ages 12.0-12.5 years) for a period of 24 months. We will also evaluate whether emotion regulation in the context of a substance use and sexual risk-taking situation (the virtual reality party) is more useful in predicting risk behavior than a computer risk-taking task (the Balloon Analogue Risk Task). We also will examine strategies for defining recovery RSA, given inconsistencies in the current literature. The current proposal advances the field by combining virtual reality and RSA collection to assess emotion regulation with the aim of identifying markers of those most vulnerable to engaging in risk behaviors at an early age, thus innovating the science of prevention.


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: 2025 ( Subtotal = $573,393 )
2025	2025	RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL	593 EDDY ST	PROVIDENCE	RI	02903	PROVIDENCE	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	000	5	6/30/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$573,393
														Subtotal = $573,393

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $691,460 )
2024	2024	RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL	593 EDDY ST	PROVIDENCE	RI	02903	PROVIDENCE	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	000	4	6/19/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$691,460
														Subtotal = $691,460

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $720,157 )
2023	2023	RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL	593 EDDY ST	PROVIDENCE	RI	02903	PROVIDENCE	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	000	3	6/13/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$720,157
														Subtotal = $720,157

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $692,789 )
2022	2022	RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL	593 EDDY ST	PROVIDENCE	RI	02903	PROVIDENCE	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	000	2	6/17/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$692,789
														Subtotal = $692,789

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $716,010 )
2021	2021	RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL	593 EDDY ST	PROVIDENCE	RI	02903	PROVIDENCE	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	000	1	8/23/2021	NEW	$716,010
														Subtotal = $716,010

Grand Total All Awards = $3,393,809

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Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia as a Predictor of Substance Use among Early Adolescents

Award Number: R01DA050603

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2021

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2026

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