The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has selected researchers at the 麻豆影院 to take part in a landmark longitudinal study about the effects of substances including alcohol, tobacco and marijuana on developing adolescent brains. 听听
CU-麻豆影院鈥檚 Intermountain Neuroimaging Consortium will be one of 20 project sites to host aspects of the NIH鈥檚 Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, which will follow approximately 10,000 children nationwide through late adolescence and track how exposure to substances beginning around age nine affects their brain structure, academic achievement, and cognitive skills.
鈥淎dolescence is a time when the brain is quite sensitive to environmental influences, and the way the brain gets wired during this developmental period has lifelong implications,鈥� said Marie Banich, director of the Institute of Cognitive Science and a professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at CU-麻豆影院. 鈥淥ur particular focus here at CU as part of this larger project will be to disentangle the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to the effects that drugs have on the developing brain.鈥�
CU-麻豆影院鈥檚 slice of the project will focus on pairs of identical and fraternal twins, with researchers using a combination of neuroimaging and behavioral genetics to compare and contrast genetically similar individuals as their brains develop.听 The study may shed light on the extent to which some adolescents are predisposed to drug use, as well as the extent to which drug use itself reshapes the brain during critical time periods.
The researchers plan to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to image both the anatomy and function of participants鈥� brains at a higher resolution than a patient typically receives during a medical procedure. By capturing pictures of brain activity in such detail, the researchers will be able to better capture the fine-grained processes that go into decision-making and emotional reactions, Banich said.
The study features a collaborative partnership between two CU-麻豆影院 research institutes: the Institute of Cognitive Science and the Institute for Behavioral Genetics, which conducts world-renowned longitudinal twin studies in Colorado. Researchers from the CU Anschutz Medical Campus鈥檚 School of Medicine will also assist with the study.
鈥淭his research represents a perfect example of how we can bring together different strengths at CU-麻豆影院,鈥� said John Hewitt, director of the Institute for Behavioral Genetics and a professor in the Department of Psychology at CU-麻豆影院. 鈥淲ith its large scope and sample size, this study has the resources to deliver real answers about the effects of drugs on the developing brain.鈥�
鈥淐U-麻豆影院 has a long history of doing this type of interdisciplinary research, which allows us to bring the right team of scientists together,鈥� said Banich. 鈥淭his coupling is an example of the unique strength that CU-麻豆影院 has in the biobehavioral sciences.鈥�
The results of the ABCD study, which is being funded by the National Institute for Drug Abuse, may eventually have wide-reaching policy implications for fields such as health, education, and law enforcement.听
Contact:
Marie Banich, 303-492-6655
marie.banich@colorado.edu
Trent Knoss, CU-麻豆影院 media relations, 303-735-0528
trent.knoss@colorado.edu
Photo courtesy of the听Intermountain Neuroimaging Consortium.