This is an application for an ADAMHA Senior Scientist Award (SSA). The SSA would permit the PI (a) to devote all of her research efforts to alcoholism; (b)to expand her research and mentoring activities concerned with gender issues in alcoholism; and (c) to gain valuable experience with structural and functional neuroimaging techniques. In conjunction with 2RO1 AA 07112-09, investigations are planned to examine changes in affect (emotion) and conation (intention) in abstinent alcoholics. Secondary aims of the research are to expand studies of age-related changes and gender differences in emotional and intentional functions. The importance of the research is fourfold: (1) Putative sites of alcohol-related brain damage involve separate frontal systems which are tied to different perceptual/cognitive aspects of emotional and intentional behaviors; (2) gender differences in alcohol- related neurobehavioral functions are ripe for experimental exploration; (3) the literature on whether emotional changes have reciprocal effects on perception and cognition in alcoholism is equivocal and controversial; and (4) even though affective and conative abnormalities have been clinically apparent in alcoholic groups, neuropsychological studies have focused primarily on cognitive changes unrelated to emotion and intention. In the proposed experiments we will enlist the participation of right- handed male and female research subjects ranging in age from 20 to 75 years. The experimental groups will include abstinent alcoholics with and without Korsakoff's syndrome. Patterns and levels of performances by the alcoholics will be compared to those of age-matched nonalcoholic subjects, in order to evaluate the ways in which behavioral consequences of aging and alcoholism are parallel, divergent, or interactive. Additionally, patients with right-frontal or bilateral frontal lobe damage from cerebrovascular accidents will provide the necessary control comparisons for neurobehavioral changes linked directly to focal brain damage. These groups were chosen specifically to clarify frontal system contributions to deficits of Korsakoff and non-Korsakoff alcoholics. We also will be able to evaluate hypotheses about greater right- than left-hemisphere functional decline in the alcoholic and aging groups, and in women compared to men. It is expected that results of the proposed studies will show clear evidence of frontal-mediated affective and conative changes in alcoholics (most notably in the Korsakoff patients), but that these changes will not be conspicuous in aging populations uncomplicated by alcoholism. By contrast, certain aspects of perceptual functioning will be compromised by aging - whether or not a history of alcohol abuse exists. Finally, women will display different performance patterns than men.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Type
Research Scientist Award (K05)
Project #
5K05AA000219-04
Application #
6124025
Study Section
Biochemistry, Physiology and Medicine Subcommittee (ALCB)
Project Start
1996-12-01
Project End
2001-11-30
Budget Start
1999-12-01
Budget End
2000-11-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2000
Total Cost
$100,197
Indirect Cost
Name
Boston University
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
042250712
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02215
Sawyer, Kayle S; Maleki, Nasim; Papadimitriou, George et al. (2018) Cerebral white matter sex dimorphism in alcoholism: a diffusion tensor imaging study. Neuropsychopharmacology 43:1876-1883
Rivas-Grajales, Ana MarĂ­a; Sawyer, Kayle S; Karmacharya, Sarina et al. (2018) Sexually dimorphic structural abnormalities in major connections of the medial forebrain bundle in alcoholism. Neuroimage Clin 19:98-105
Blum, Kenneth; Febo, Marcelo; Badgaiyan, Rajendra D et al. (2017) Common Neurogenetic Diagnosis and Meso-Limbic Manipulation of Hypodopaminergic Function in Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS): Changing the Recovery Landscape. Curr Neuropharmacol 15:184-194
Sawyer, Kayle S; Oscar-Berman, Marlene; Barthelemy, Olivier J et al. (2017) Gender dimorphism of brain reward system volumes in alcoholism. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 263:15-25
Blum, Kenneth; Simpatico, Thomas; Febo, Marcelo et al. (2017) Hypothesizing Music Intervention Enhances Brain Functional Connectivity Involving Dopaminergic Recruitment: Common Neuro-correlates to Abusable Drugs. Mol Neurobiol 54:3753-3758
Blum, Kenneth; Modestino, Edward J; Gondré-Lewis, Marjorie et al. (2017) ""Dopamine homeostasis"" requires balanced polypharmacy: Issue with destructive, powerful dopamine agents to combat America's drug epidemic. J Syst Integr Neurosci 3:
Schoenthaler, Stephen J; Blum, Kenneth; Fried, Lyle et al. (2017) The effects of residential dual diagnosis treatment on alcohol abuse. J Syst Integr Neurosci 3:
Seitz, Johanna; Sawyer, Kayle S; Papadimitriou, George et al. (2017) Alcoholism and sexual dimorphism in the middle longitudinal fascicle: a pilot study. Brain Imaging Behav 11:1006-1017
Mosher Ruiz, Susan; Oscar-Berman, Marlene; Kemppainen, Maaria I et al. (2017) Associations Between Personality and Drinking Motives Among Abstinent Adult Alcoholic Men and Women. Alcohol Alcohol 52:496-505
Sawyer, Kayle S; Oscar-Berman, Marlene; Mosher Ruiz, Susan et al. (2016) Associations Between Cerebellar Subregional Morphometry and Alcoholism History in Men and Women. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 40:1262-72

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