2006 |
Eitan, Shoshana |
R03Activity Code Description: To provide research support specifically limited in time and amount for studies in categorical program areas. Small grants provide flexibility for initiating studies which are generally for preliminary short-term projects and are non-renewable. |
Functionality of the Opioid System During Adolescent Development Across Genders @ Texas a&M University System
[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The distinctive nature of adolescent behaviors, such as alteration in anxiety, sensitivity to stress and perception of reward and aversion quite possibly contribute, in part, to adolescent personality characteristics associate with increased risk for drug abuse. Moreover, early exposure to drugs of abuse correlates with the increased probability of developing a drug addiction and other psychiatric disorders during adulthood. These factors are probably the result of the susceptibility to disruption of the normal ontogenesis of the emotional/ motivational system and of brain sensitization processes (i.e. long-lasting plasticity) by neurochemical adaptations resulting from the administration of drugs of abuse. The opioid system has been suggested to have a fundamental role in the neurochemical adaptation leading to drug addiction to opiates as well as other drugs of abuse. Additionally, the opioid system is known to be involved in shaping emotional state, e. g., hedonic tone, anxiety and stress, reward and aversion. Thus, the opioid system could have a direct (drug of abuse induced neurochemical adaptations) and indirect (contribution to the altered emotional response) effect on both drug abuse during adolescence and on the long-term consequences of early drug exposure. There is histological literature indicating that the opioid system, including brain regions and receptor systems mediating opioid and emotional processing are not fully mature until mid to late adolescence. However, there is a very limited literature targeting the functionality of the opioid system during this period. Therefore, the purpose of this project is to broaden our understanding of the opioid system during adolescence with respect to function and ontogenesis, and to build a foundation for future studies seeking to uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying such ontogenesis and functionality. The specific aims of this study are to determine the contribution of age (adolescent vs. adult), gender, and social condition (representing emotional status) to the activation of cellular signaling molecules (such as kinases and immediate early genes) by acute and repeated morphine exposure. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]
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1 |
2020 — 2025 |
Li, Ying Eitan, Shoshana Wang, Ya [⬀] Srinivasan, Rahul (co-PI) [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Gcr: Programmable Nanorobots Integration With Magnetically-Driven Neuron and Brain Tissue Regeneration @ Texas a&M Engineering Experiment Station
In this convergent project, mechanical and biomedical engineers, a nanoscientist, and neuroscientists develop new understanding of how to program magnetic nanorobots to effectively communicate and interact inside networks of neurons. If successful, this may provide a possible approach for non-invasive brain therapeutics. The fundamental analysis of the cellular interaction behavior of magnetic nanorobots may lay a foundation for novel and translatable approaches to treat intractable disorders such as neurodegeneration, epilepsy, chronic pain, and spinal cord injury. Additionally, the research promotes disciplinary integration across nanoscience, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, neuroscience and experimental therapeutics. The project provides research experiences for high school teacher and students, undergraduate and graduate students.
The knowledge generated by the convergent effort will form novel frameworks to catalyze scientific discovery and innovation in brain tissue regeneration and repair, and will provide a powerful, scalable and controllable technology of self-driving nanorobots transporting and functioning inside the brain environment. It will also enhance fundamental understanding of long-term changes in the activity of specific neural circuits with degenerative neurons. An explainable artificial intelligence framework provides additional quantitative assays to complement a biologically plausible, continuously remodeling, analytical, microvascular network model. Furthermore, combined with recent advances in power electronics, this project holds a high potential for contributing to the development of a new machine learning model that improves researchers? capacity for studying the growth behavior of neurons inside a 3D extracellular matrix.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
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0.943 |