This proposal is for a NIAAA Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (KO8) to foster the development of Dr. Laura Jean Bierut's career by supporting her work with Dr. Theodore Reich and Dr. Andrew Heath and other scientists in the field of alcohol abuse research. With this award, the Candidate will be able to further explore the relationship of alcohol dependence and comorbid psychiatric disorders. As the first part of her career development plan, the Candidate proposes to enhance her training through formal course work and independent tutorials in research methodology, statistics, genetic epidemiology, and linkage analysis. These skills will be applied to the analysis of existing data (Australian twin/spouse study, and COGA). As the second part of her career development plan, the Candidate proposes an independent research project to further elucidate the relationship between alcohol dependence and major depressive disorder.
The specific aims of the proposal are: I: to measure the association of alcohol dependence and major depressive disorder in a general population sample of Australian twins and their spouses. The effects of assortative mating, environmental influences, secular trends, and associated psychopathology will be examined. Also gender differences in the expression of comorbid alcohol dependence and major depressive disorder will be analyzed. ii: to study the effects of differing diagnostic systems (DSM-IIIR, DSM-IV, ICD-10, Feighner, and Research Diagnostic Criteria) on the comorbidity of alcohol dependence and major depressive disorder in families of probands with alcohol dependence with and without major depressive disorder. iii: to participate in linkage analysis using siblings affected with both alcohol dependence and major depressive disorder and then to compare these results to other analyses of siblings affected with alcohol dependence only and major depressive disorder only. iv: to conduct a prospective study of siblings of alcoholics with a detailed evaluation of comorbid alcohol dependence and major depressive disorder.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Type
Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23)
Project #
5K23AA000231-05
Application #
6328574
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (SRCA (16))
Program Officer
Lefauve, Charlene
Project Start
1996-12-01
Project End
2002-11-30
Budget Start
2000-12-01
Budget End
2002-11-30
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2001
Total Cost
$144,152
Indirect Cost
Name
Washington University
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
068552207
City
Saint Louis
State
MO
Country
United States
Zip Code
63130