The Research Components of this Center include: (1) a study of the substance abuse of adolescent children associated with the Colorado Adoption Project; (2) study of severe substance-abusing teenagers and their families; (3) quantitative genetic analyses of the cigarette withdrawal syndrome; (4) assessment of the hypothesis that genetic factors regulate cross-tolerance and dependence between sedative hypnotic drugs based on the lipid solubility of the agents; and (5) assessment of the tension-reduction hypothesis of nicotine's action and development of animal models of nicotine withdrawal. The research teams will continue to benefit from sharing scientific resources, such as the specific-pathogen-free mouse facility and the twin/adoptee registers at IBG; from interactions and exchange of ideas, e.g., comparing results derived from a common database of inbred strains and selected lines of mice to those derived from human subjects; and from enhanced research and administrative assistance. Results obtained from research within the Center will continue to contribute to a better understanding of -the etiology of individual differences in drug-related behaviors, and will add a valuable increment to the knowledge base for clinical intervention strategies for the individual.
