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Environmental Enrichment as a Treatment for Heroin Use Disorder

Award Number: SC3GM130430
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/01/2019
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/29/2024

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Environmental Enrichment as a Treatment for Heroin Use Disorder - Summary Abstract Heroin use disorder continues to be a serious and growing national health problem that requires an effective solution that produces long-term abstinence and prevents relapse. Agonist replacement pharmacotherapies show promise but continue to fall short of being highly effective when the goal is long-term abstinence and relapse prevention. Research shows that behavioral treatment strategies can be successful in maintaining abstinence and preventing relapse. However, most behavioral strategies are focused on learning new responses to drug and drug stimuli that are not maintained for significant periods of time after treatment; when the new learning conditions are stopped or the user returns to the original drug contexts there is relapse. Given these limitations the development of more effective strategies is warranted. Environmental enrichment (EE) is a strategy that is not dependent on learning new responses to drug or drug stimuli and therefore may not be prone to the limitations mentioned above. We have proposed that EE is a novel strategy that can effectively treat heroin addiction by facilitating abstinence and protecting against relapse. Our preliminary data has shown that EE can facilitate abstinence from heroin and reduce cue-induced relapse in animal models. Although these findings are extremely promising there is critical knowledge still missing which will be addressed here. This proposal is aimed at (1) testing the effects of EE as a treatment for heroin addiction in females (which to date has not been done), across different periods of craving incubation and in animals with extended access to heroin self-administration (a drug-taking model that leads to escalated drug intake thought to represent the same escalation seen in addicted individuals) and (2) investigating the neural mechanisms by which EE is effective in facilitating abstinence and reducing relapse. If the proposed aims demonstrate that EE facilitates abstinence and diminishes the capacity of heroin cues to induce relapse in males and females, across long periods of craving incubation (i.e., withdrawal) and with extended access to drug it will significantly widen the spectrum of behavioral strategies that can be used as treatments for heroin addiction. Also, if the proposed aims show that EE reduces the capacity of heroin cues to activate mesocorticolimbic regions then they will begin to shed light on the neurobiological mechanisms though which EE has its beneficial effects on heroin (or other) substance use disorder. The results of these studies will provide important data that can be used to further refine treatment strategies for heroin (and other drug) use disorder.


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: 2024 ( Subtotal = -$791 )
2024	2022	RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK	6530 KISSENA BLVD	FLUSHING	NY	11367	QUEENS	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	4	8/27/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$791
														Subtotal = -$791

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2023	2022	RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK	65-30 KISSENA BLVD	FLUSHING	NY	11367	QUEENS	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	4	7/5/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $115,500 )
2022	2022	RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK	65-30 KISSENA BLVD	FLUSHING	NY	11367	QUEENS	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	001	4	6/27/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$11,550
2022	2022	RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK	65-30 KISSENA BLVD	FLUSHING	NY	11367	QUEENS	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	4	1/20/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$103,950
														Subtotal = $115,500

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $115,500 )
2021	2021	RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK	65-30 KISSENA BLVD	FLUSHING	NY	11367	QUEENS	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	001	3	2/17/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$11,550
2021	2021	RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK	65-30 KISSENA BLVD	FLUSHING	NY	11367	QUEENS	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	3	1/28/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$103,950
														Subtotal = $115,500

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $115,500 )
2020	2020	RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK	65-30 KISSENA BLVD	FLUSHING	NY	11367	QUEENS	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	001	2	3/16/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$11,550
2020	2020	RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK	65-30 KISSENA BLVD	FLUSHING	NY	11367	QUEENS	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	2	1/1/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$103,950
														Subtotal = $115,500

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $115,500 )
2019	2019	RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK	65-30 KISSENA BLVD	FLUSHING	NY	11367	QUEENS	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	1	1/29/2019	NEW	$115,500
														Subtotal = $115,500

Grand Total All Awards = $461,209

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Environmental Enrichment as a Treatment for Heroin Use Disorder

Award Number: SC3GM130430

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/01/2019

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/29/2024

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