2005 — 2006 |
Gonzalez, Raul |
F32Activity Code Description: To provide postdoctoral research training to individuals to broaden their scientific background and extend their potential for research in specified health-related areas. |
Mechanisms For Neurocognitive Damage of Hiv+ Drug Users @ University of Illinois At Chicago
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The scientific literature reports neurocognitive abnormalities in persons infected with HIV that may have critical implications for daily function, medication adherence, and engagement in sexual and injection high-risk behaviors that may spread HIV, as well as the hepatitis C virus. Drug use is thought to exacerbate cognitive dysfunction in those with HIV. Although various neurocognitive functions in drug users with HIV have been studied, there is a paucity of literature on procedural learning abilities, which may be a factor in the neurocognitive and functional deficits of drug users with HIV. The proposed investigation will examine motor and cognitive procedural teaming in HIV infected drug users recruited from an ongoing NIDA-funded parent project that examines executive functions in this population. Toward this goal, a program has been designed to provide new training and skills in neurocognitive theories of addiction, collection and analysis of data from cognitive neuropsychological measures, working with an underserved urban minority sample, and developing/conducting a supervised independent research project that will lead the applicant to a career as a federally-funded researcher in the cognitive neurosciences.
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1 |
2008 — 2010 |
Gonzalez, Raul |
K23Activity Code Description: To provide support for the career development of investigators who have made a commitment of focus their research endeavors on patient-oriented research. This mechanism provides support for a 3 year minimum up to 5 year period of supervised study and research for clinically trained professionals who have the potential to develop into productive, clinical investigators. |
Neurocognitive Disinhibition and Cannabis Addiction: a Career Development Award @ University of Illinois At Chicago
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cannabis is the most widely-used illicit drug in the United States, and its use is currently most prevalent among adolescents and young adults. Cannabinoid receptors are densely distributed in the human brain and results from neuroimaging studies of abstinent cannabis users suggest functional brain abnormalities that are often not reflected on measures of neurocognitive functioning. In contrast, mounting evidence indicates that theory-driven measures of neurocognitive disinhibition are sensitive to the integrity of brain structures and circuits implicated in addiction pathophysiology and may be of value in the assessment of neurocognitive abnormalities in cannabis users. The proposed research plan will examine the role of neurocognitive disinhibition in cannabis use and addiction by characterizing performance on several measures of inhibitory control in a large sample (n = 216) of participants between the ages of 16 and 24 who will vary in exposure and use of cannabis, as well as prevalence of cannabis addiction. The investigation will be carried out in the context of a training plan that broadly includes new training in addictions neuroscience, conducting substance use research with adolescents, and longitudinal statistics and research methods. Training and mentorship will be provided by the candidate's sponsor (Dr Robin Mermelstein), co-sponsor (Dr Susan Tapert), and consultants (Drs Edwin Cook, Harriet de Wit, Donald Hedeker, Mitchell Roitman, and Ralph Tarter). In conjunction with the proposed training plan, the findings from this cross-sectional study will allow Dr Raul Gonzalez to lay the necessary groundwork and obtain essential new training for development of a longitudinal investigation to delineate the complex role of neurocognitive disinhibition in the development and maintenance of cannabis addiction, to be submitted as an R01 application during the final year of this award. The initial investigation will support the training aims by providing important "hands-on" training and by generating pilot data to develop a model and series of research studies that consider neurocognitive disinhibition in both the development and maintenance of cannabis addiction. The findings from the proposed study inform how neurocognitive disinhibition relates to use of cannabis and the severity of cannabis addiction. This will lead to future studies that may identify youth at risk for cannabis addiction and inform interventions.
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1 |
2012 — 2017 |
Gonzalez, Raul |
R01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Decision-Making and Episodic Memory in Trajectories to Cannabis Addiction @ University of Illinois At Chicago
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): More people in the United States are addicted to cannabis than to any other illicit drug, and prevalence of its use is rising, accompanied by a decline in the disapproval of its use and its perceived harm among adolescents. Important maturational changes in prefrontal cortex during adolescence may make youth more vulnerable than adults to adverse effects from cannabis. Indeed, research shows impairments in memory performance and decision-making abilities of heavy cannabis users, most of whom initiate use during adolescence. However, little is known about how decision-making and memory are affected across the trajectory from initial experimentation to development of cannabis addiction. Furthermore, there is controversy in the scientific literature on whether the impairments in decision-making observed among heavy cannabis users are due to the harmful effects of cannabis on brain functioning, or whether they may be an antecedent risk factor for the development of cannabis addiction. The principal goals of this proposal are to determine whether: a) decision-making is an antecedent risk factor for cannabis addiction; and b) what changes occur in decision-making and episodic memory along different cannabis use trajectories. Participants will be 400 youth ages 14 to 16 at baseline, most of whom will have experimented with cannabis, but have yet to develop addiction. Over two years, their performance will be assessed on measures of decision-making and episodic memory every 12 months and on their substance use and symptoms of cannabis addiction every 6 months. Poorer decision-making at baseline is hypothesized to be associated with increased risk of developing cannabis addiction during follow-up. Those who escalate in their cannabis consumption over time will show greater deterioration in their episodic memory than observed in other (non-escalating or desisting) cannabis use trajectories. In contrast, decision-making will show little change across all trajectories, consistent with its hypothesized role as an antecedent, rather than a consequence, of cannabis addiction. Any declines observed in decision-making during follow-up are hypothesized to be associated with increased severity of cannabis addiction (i.e., more compulsive use and more negative consequences), but less so with cumulative lifetime amounts of cannabis use. The opposite pattern is expected with memory performances. Understanding more about the links between neuropsychological functions and cannabis addiction will help clarify theoretical models pertaining to their temporal association. Clinically, knowing more about neuropsychological predictors and sequelae of addiction will help us to develop more targeted and tailored interventions and prevention programs, consistent with NIDA's goals. Importantly, our findings will clarify whether decision-making is an antecedent risk factor for cannabis use and addiction, a consequence of use, or both. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: People who use marijuana sometimes show impairments in their memory and in the way that their brain makes good decisions. This study will help to determine if problems with decision-making are one of the reasons that some teens become addicted to marijuana. It will also describe how progressing from experimental marijuana use to addiction affects memory and decision-making. Knowing more about predictors of marijuana addiction will help us to develop specific interventions and prevention programs for teens.
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1 |
2012 — 2017 |
Gonzalez, Raul |
R01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
The Impact of Cannabis Use On the Neurocognitive Functioning of Individuals With @ Florida International University
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cannabis use is common among individuals with HIV/AIDS. Its medical use for HIV symptom management continues to gain acceptance and recent changes to state laws have made it increasingly easier for HIV-seropositive (HIV+) individuals to obtain cannabis. Although cannabis has therapeutic potential, its use is also known to cause neurocognitive deficits. This is of particular concern to individuals with HIV, who are already vulnerable to such impairments. Indeed, a substantial amount of research shows that various substances of abuse often compound HIV-associated neurocognitive deficits. Yet, despite its widespread use, the effects of cannabis in this population have been relatively unexplored. Little is known regarding the type and extent of neurocognitive impairments that cannabis use may confer to HIV+ individuals, their impact on important functional behaviors (e.g., medication management), or the underlying mechanisms. The proposed project will address these issues by first characterizing rigorously how cannabis use and HIV relate to neuropsychological functioning in a large cohort of 400 community-dwelling adults, stratified by HIV-serostatus and cannabis use. The second aim examines how cannabis use may adversely affect important functional real-world behaviors of HIV+ individuals. The final aim tests a theory-driven model that includes several mechanisms through which cannabis use may directly and indirectly influence neurocognitive functioning among HIV+ individuals. This model is based on strong preclinical evidence showing both immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects of cannabinoids. Structural equation modeling will be used to test any direct effects that cannabis has on neurocognition, as well as any indirect effects that may be driven by its immunosupressive properties. The model will simultaneously examine if anti-inflammatory effects from cannabis are serving to mitigate neurocognitive deficits among those with HIV. The results of this proposal will yield a more complete understanding of how cannabis use influences neurocognition among HIV+ individuals. Our findings have the potential to improve the health and quality of life of HIV+ individuals, further neuroAIDS research, and inform healthcare decisions and policies regarding use of cannabis among individuals with HIV/AIDS.
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0.933 |
2015 — 2016 |
Gonzalez, Raul Laird, Angela R (co-PI) [⬀] |
U01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Fiu-Abcd: Pathways and Mechanisms to Addiction in the Latino Youth of South Florida @ Florida International University
? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Despite significant recent breakthroughs in our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms involved in substance use (SU) and addiction, progress remains modest toward integrative knowledge on how psychosocial, neurocognitive, and neurobiological risk factors jointly influence SU initiation, escalation, and addiction, and how they are affected in return. The complexity of SU behaviors, their emergence during critical periods of neurodevelopment, and their strong linkages with physical and mental health, demands a comprehensive large- scale, prospective longitudinal study that begins with youth prior to initiation of SU and that incorporates genetic, psychosocial, cultural, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging measures. The aims of this study align with those of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study Consortium as set forth in RFA-DA-15-015. These are to: (1) Establish how diverse patterns of SU use impact the structure and function of the developing brain; (2) Identify the impact of SU use on health, psychosocial development, neurocognition, academic achievement, motivation, and emotional regulation; (3) Understand how SU and addiction affect the onset, course, and severity of psychopathology, and vice versa; (4) Identify factors that influence trajectories of SU and its consequences; and (5) Establish how use of one substance contributes to use of other substances. As the largest ethnic minority group in the US, Latinos merit a significant position in the enrollment plan for th ABCD study. The Florida International University (FIU) ABCD site will uniquely contribute to achieving these aims and enhance their impact and significance through enrollment of 900 multi-ethnic Latino youth from South Florida who will be 9 to 10 years old at baseline and substance naïve. The vast majority of our sample will be normally developing, but 30% will have a diagnosis of a disruptive behavior disorder (DBD; i.e., ADHD, Conduct Disorder, or Oppositional Defiant Disorder) to increase likelihood of observing initiation and escalation of SU in the sample and to better understand mechanisms accounting for the strong linkages between DBDs and SU trajectories. Furthermore, multidimensional assessment of cultural factors at the individual, intra-familial, and community level in this unique sample, will allow for characterization of how dynamic relationships between cultural factors (e.g., acculturation and biculturalism) influence SU initiation, escalation, and addiction, as well as underlying mechanisms. Participants will complete six assessment waves during the first 5 years of the study, which includes detailed assessments of SU and various psychosocial, cultural, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging measures. In conjunction with the ABCD Coordinating Center, Data Center, and selected sites, this study will reveal how psychosocial (including cultural), neurocognitive, and neurobiological factors dynamically interact to influence SU trajectories during development from childhood through adolescence and into young adulthood. The findings of the ABCD Study will further NIDA's mission to apply cutting-edge science to issues of SU and addiction in order to inform policy and improve prevention and treatment.
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0.933 |
2017 — 2019 |
Gonzalez, Raul Laird, Angela R (co-PI) [⬀] |
U01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (Abcd): Fiu @ Florida International University
? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Despite significant recent breakthroughs in our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms involved in substance use (SU) and addiction, progress remains modest toward integrative knowledge on how psychosocial, neurocognitive, and neurobiological risk factors jointly influence SU initiation, escalation, and addiction, and how they are affected in return. The complexity of SU behaviors, their emergence during critical periods of neurodevelopment, and their strong linkages with physical and mental health, demands a comprehensive large- scale, prospective longitudinal study that begins with youth prior to initiation of SU and that incorporates genetic, psychosocial, cultural, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging measures. The aims of this study align with those of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study Consortium as set forth in RFA-DA-15-015. These are to: (1) Establish how diverse patterns of SU use impact the structure and function of the developing brain; (2) Identify the impact of SU use on health, psychosocial development, neurocognition, academic achievement, motivation, and emotional regulation; (3) Understand how SU and addiction affect the onset, course, and severity of psychopathology, and vice versa; (4) Identify factors that influence trajectories of SU and its consequences; and (5) Establish how use of one substance contributes to use of other substances. As the largest ethnic minority group in the US, Latinos merit a significant position in the enrollment plan for th ABCD study. The Florida International University (FIU) ABCD site will uniquely contribute to achieving these aims and enhance their impact and significance through enrollment of 900 multi-ethnic Latino youth from South Florida who will be 9 to 10 years old at baseline and substance naïve. The vast majority of our sample will be normally developing, but 30% will have a diagnosis of a disruptive behavior disorder (DBD; i.e., ADHD, Conduct Disorder, or Oppositional Defiant Disorder) to increase likelihood of observing initiation and escalation of SU in the sample and to better understand mechanisms accounting for the strong linkages between DBDs and SU trajectories. Furthermore, multidimensional assessment of cultural factors at the individual, intra-familial, and community level in this unique sample, will allow for characterization of how dynamic relationships between cultural factors (e.g., acculturation and biculturalism) influence SU initiation, escalation, and addiction, as well as underlying mechanisms. Participants will complete six assessment waves during the first 5 years of the study, which includes detailed assessments of SU and various psychosocial, cultural, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging measures. In conjunction with the ABCD Coordinating Center, Data Center, and selected sites, this study will reveal how psychosocial (including cultural), neurocognitive, and neurobiological factors dynamically interact to influence SU trajectories during development from childhood through adolescence and into young adulthood. The findings of the ABCD Study will further NIDA's mission to apply cutting-edge science to issues of SU and addiction in order to inform policy and improve prevention and treatment.
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0.933 |
2017 |
Gonzalez, Raul |
R01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
The Joint Effect of Neighborhood-Level Factors and Decision-Making On Changes in Cannibis Use @ Florida International University
Project Summary. More people in the United States are addicted to cannabis than to any other illicit drug, and prevalence of its use is rising, accompanied by a decline in its perceived harm among adolescents. Important maturational changes in prefrontal cortex during adolescence may make youth more vulnerable than adults to adverse effects from cannabis. Indeed, research shows impairments in memory performance and decision-making abilities of heavy cannabis users, most of whom initiate use during adolescence. However, little is known about how decision-making and memory are affected across the trajectory from initial experimentation to development of cannabis addiction. Furthermore, there is controversy in the scientific literature on whether the impairments in decision-making observed among heavy cannabis users are due to the harmful effects of cannabis on brain functioning, or whether they may be an antecedent risk factor for the development of cannabis addiction. The principal goals of this proposal are to determine whether: a) decision-making is an antecedent risk factor for cannabis addiction; and b) what changes occur in decision-making and episodic memory along different cannabis use trajectories. Participants will be 480 youth ages 14 to 15 at baseline, most of whom will have experimented with cannabis, but have yet to develop addiction. Over three years, their performance will be assessed on measures of decision-making and episodic memory every 18 months and on their substance use and symptoms of cannabis addiction every 9 months. Poorer decision-making at baseline is hypothesized to be associated with increased risk of developing cannabis addiction during follow-up. Similarly, declines in decision- making during follow-up are hypothesized to be associated with increased severity of cannabis addiction (i.e., more compulsive use and more negative consequences). Finally, those who escalate in their cannabis consumption over time will show greater deterioration in their episodic memory than observed in other (non-escalating or desisting) cannabis use trajectories. In contrast, decision-making will show little change across all trajectories, consistent with its hypothesized role as an antecedent, rather than a consequence, of cannabis addiction. Understanding more about the links between neuropsychological functions and cannabis addiction will help clarify theoretical models pertaining to their temporal association. Clinically, knowing more about neuropsychological predictors and sequelae of addiction will help us to develop more targeted and tailored interventions and prevention programs, consistent with NIDA's goals. Importantly, our findings will clarify whether decision-making is an antecedent risk factor for cannabis use and addiction, a consequence of use, or both.
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0.933 |
2020 |
Gonzalez, Raul Laird, Angela R (co-PI) [⬀] |
U01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
4/21 Abcd-Usa Consortium: Research Project Site At Fiu @ Florida International University
Abstract Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) is the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States. The ABCD Research Consortium consists of 21 research sites across the country, a Coordinating Center, and a Data Analysis and Informatics Resource Center. In its first five years, under RFA-DA-15-015, ABCD enrolled a diverse sample of 11,878 9-10 year olds from across the consortium, and will track their biological and behavioral development through adolescence into young adulthood. All participants received a comprehensive baseline assessment, including state-of-the-art brain imaging, neuropsychological testing, bioassays, careful assessment of substance use, mental health, physical health, and culture and environment. A similar detailed assessment recurs every 2 years. Interim in-person annual interviews and mid-year telephone or mobile app assessments provide refined temporal resolution of developmental changes and life events that occur over time with minimal burden to participating youth and parents. Intensive efforts are made to keep the vast majority of participants involved with the study through adolescence and beyond, and retention rates thus far are very high. Neuroimaging has expanded our understanding of brain development from childhood into adulthood. Using this and other cutting-edge technologies, ABCD can determine how different kinds of youth experiences (such as sports, school involvement, extracurricular activities, videogames, social media, unhealthy sleep patterns, and vaping) interact with each other and with a child?s changing biology to affect brain development and social, behavioral, academic, health, and other outcomes. Data, securely and privately shared with the scientific community, will enable investigators to: (1) describe individual developmental pathways in terms of neural, cognitive, emotional, and academic functioning, and influencing factors; (2) develop national standards of healthy brain development; (3) investigate the roles and interaction of genes and the environment on development; (4) examine how physical activity, sleep, screen time, sports injuries (including traumatic brain injuries), and other experiences influence brain development; (5) determine and replicate factors that influence mental health from childhood to young adulthood; (6) characterize relationships between mental health and substance use; and (7) specify how use of substances such as cannabis, alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine affects developmental outcomes, and how neural, cognitive, emotional, and environmental factors influence the risk for adolescent substance use.
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0.933 |