The proposed ADAMHA Research Scientist Award will focus upon marihuana and alcohol problems in women. Biological, behavioral and social antecedents and consequences of marihuana and alcohol abuse will be studied in women with a recent history of regular or occasional marihuana or alcohol use. The acute and chronic effects of marihuana and alcohol on affective state, social interaction, and neuroendocrine homeostasis will be examined under controlled inpatient research ward conditions where other drug use cannot influence results obtained and the safety and comfort of the subjects is assured. Biological studies will examine marihuana and alcohol effects on neuroendocrine hormones which are essential for female reproductive function. An association between marihuana and alcohol abuse and hormonal dysfunction in men has been reported. Chronic alcohol self-administration and marihuana administration to female monkeys induces a major disruption of pituitary-gonadal function. Acute effects of marihuana and alcohol on reproductive hormones (compared with placebo under double-blind conditions) will be studied in three groups of women during the periovulatory, midfollicular, and late luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. The biobehavioral effects of 21 days of marihuana or alcohol availability will be examined in the same women over one menstrual cycle. Episodic secretory profiles of LH, FSH, prolactin, estradiol and progesterone will be studied with integrated plasma sampling techniques and radioimmunoassays. Quantitative behavioral measures of marihuana and alcohol acquisition will be compared with clinical and psychometric indices of mood, intoxication and social interaction patterns. Analysis of the covariance between these measures, menstrual cycle phase and marihuana smoking or alcohol drinking patterns should clarify the proximal determinants and consequences of marihuana and alcohol use in women. Since alcohol disruption of normal female reproductive hormonal regulation could impair procreation and adversely affect fetal development, it is important to evaluate marihuana and alcohol's effects systematically under controlled conditions. Data obtained should clarify the antecedents and consequences of alcohol problems in women and indicate the similarity to or differences from marihuana and alcohol abuse in men. The ADAMHA Research Scientist Award will also permit the principal investigator to obtain further training and expertise in endocrinology and reproductive biology; disciplines which have direct relevance for the proposed research.
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