The candidate is applying for a mentored research scientist development award. Kenneth Kendler, M.D., a world-renowned researcher in the genetic epidemiology of psychiatric disorders, will be her primary preceptor. The training setting in the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, a multidisciplinary institute located in the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University. Research conducted during the past decade has implicated genetic factors in alcohol use, abuse and dependence. An important focus of research in the next decade will be to understand the mechanisms by which these influences operate. The overall goal of the proposed research is to identify mechanisms for transmission of vulnerability to alcohol use and alcoholism.
Specific aims i nclude: studying genetic contributions to lifetime risk for alcohol use, abuse and dependence, as well as changes in alcohol consumption and symptomatology; investigating the basis for the association between alcohol-related behaviors and a variety of proposed """"""""risk factors""""""""; studying the basis of the co-occurrence of alcoholism and a variety of other forms of psychopathology; and identifying the role of personality traits and comorbid psychopathology as potential mediators and moderators of genetic vulnerability. To accomplish these goals, the candidate will obtain training in advanced statistical methods and apply them to data collected from personal interviews with over 9,000 twins and their parents ascertained through the population-based Virginia Twin Registry. The candidate's future career goal is to develop comprehensive etiological models for alcohol use and alcoholism by combining behavior genetic designs with behavioral pharmacology paradigms and molecular genetic data. To facilitate this, the candidate will obtain training in behavioral pharmacology and molecular genetics.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Type
Research Scientist Development Award - Research & Training (K01)
Project #
5K01AA000236-03
Application #
6149812
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZAA1-BB (01))
Project Start
1998-02-01
Project End
2003-01-31
Budget Start
2000-02-01
Budget End
2001-01-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2000
Total Cost
$96,628
Indirect Cost
Name
Virginia Commonwealth University
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
City
Richmond
State
VA
Country
United States
Zip Code
23298
Hsu, Kean J; Young-Wolff, Kelly C; Kendler, Kenneth S et al. (2014) Neuropsychological deficits in major depression reflect genetic/familial risk more than clinical history: a monozygotic discordant twin-pair study. Psychiatry Res 215:87-94
Young-Wolff, K C; Kendler, K S; Ericson, M L et al. (2011) Accounting for the association between childhood maltreatment and alcohol-use disorders in males: a twin study. Psychol Med 41:59-70
Prescott, Carol A; Kuhn, Jonathan W; Pedersen, Nancy L (2007) Twin pair resemblance for psychiatric hospitalization in the Swedish Twin Registry: a 32-year follow-up study of 29,602 twin pairs. Behav Genet 37:547-58
Prescott, Carol A; Caldwell, Constance B; Carey, Gregory et al. (2005) The Washington University Twin Study of alcoholism. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 134B:48-55
Prescott, Carol A (2002) Sex differences in the genetic risk for alcoholism. Alcohol Res Health 26:264-73
Prescott, C A; Kendler, K S (2001) Associations between marital status and alcohol consumption in a longitudinal study of female twins. J Stud Alcohol 62:589-604
Prescott, C A; Aggen, S H; Kendler, K S (2000) Sex-specific genetic influences on the comorbidity of alcoholism and major depression in a population-based sample of US twins. Arch Gen Psychiatry 57:803-11
Young, E A; Aggen, S H; Prescott, C A et al. (2000) Similarity in saliva cortisol measures in monozygotic twins and the influence of past major depression. Biol Psychiatry 48:70-4