This R21 exploratory project will examine frontal white matter, executive functioning and treatment outcomes in adolescents with alcohol use disorders (AUDs). The project will specifically focus on the measurement and integration of constructs from three domains: (1) frontal white matter organization determined by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), (2) executive functioning, measured by neuropsychological tests and functional assessments, and (3) alcohol and other substance involvement assessed monthly over a one-year period. Utilizing the resources of an on-going project on the substance involvement outcomes of adolescents in treatment for AUDs compared to a community control group (i.e., Recovery Project; R01AA014357; PI: Chung), the project will recruit 75 subjects (50 with AUDs, 25 controls) to participate in neuropsychological and neuroanatomical assessments at treatment initiation and a one-year follow-up. The Recovery Project conducts monthly substance use assessments, yielding an exceptionally detailed description of substance use trajectories in the intervening year. The neurodevelopmental assessment will include neuropsychological tests and neuroanatomical characterization by both conventional morphometric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and DTI. We anticipate that one-year outcome data will identify AUD subjects essentially achieving abstinence, AUD subjects relapsing to substantial continued alcohol involvement, and control subjects with minimal alcohol use. The hypothesized model specifies that alcohol abstinence will predict increases in white matter organization in frontal white matter tracts and correlated improvements in executive functioning. The R21 project will determine feasibility, provide estimates for statistical power and sample size calculations and initiate a collaboration between our programs in Pittsburgh and Minnesota. The study will thus determine the feasibility of demonstrating improvements in white matter integrity among adolescents with AUDs successfully completing treatment utilizing a prospective design and a contrasting relapsing AUD group and a community control group.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Type
Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)
Project #
5R21AA016272-02
Application #
7140686
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZDA1-MXS-M (22))
Program Officer
Witt, Ellen
Project Start
2005-09-30
Project End
2008-08-31
Budget Start
2006-09-01
Budget End
2007-08-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2006
Total Cost
$319,959
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Pittsburgh
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
004514360
City
Pittsburgh
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
15213
Chung, Tammy; Ferrell, Robert; Clark, Duncan B (2015) Indirect association of DAT1 genotype with executive function through white matter volume in orbitofrontal cortex. Psychiatry Res 232:76-83
Chung, Tammy; Paulsen, David J; Geier, Charles F et al. (2015) Regional brain activation supporting cognitive control in the context of reward is associated with treated adolescents' marijuana problem severity at follow-up: A preliminary study. Dev Cogn Neurosci 16:93-100
Chung, Tammy; Clark, Duncan B (2014) Insula white matter volume linked to binge drinking frequency through enhancement motives in treated adolescents. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 38:1932-40
Thatcher, Dawn L; Pajtek, Stefan; Tarter, Ralph et al. (2014) Amygdala Activation and Emotional Processing in Adolescents at Risk for Substance Use Disorders. J Child Adolesc Subst Abuse 23:200-204
Clark, D B; Chung, T; Pajtek, S et al. (2013) Neuroimaging methods for adolescent substance use disorder prevention science. Prev Sci 14:300-9
Chung, Tammy; Pajtek, Stefan; Clark, Duncan B (2013) White matter integrity as a link in the association between motivation to abstain and treatment outcome in adolescent substance users. Psychol Addict Behav 27:533-42
Clark, Duncan B; Chung, Tammy; Thatcher, Dawn L et al. (2012) Psychological dysregulation, white matter disorganization and substance use disorders in adolescence. Addiction 107:206-14
Chung, Tammy; Geier, Charles; Luna, Beatriz et al. (2011) Enhancing response inhibition by incentive: comparison of adolescents with and without substance use disorder. Drug Alcohol Depend 115:43-50
Cornelius, Jack R; Bukstein, Oscar G; Douaihy, Antoine B et al. (2010) Double-blind fluoxetine trial in comorbid MDD-CUD youth and young adults. Drug Alcohol Depend 112:39-45
Thatcher, Dawn L; Pajtek, Stefan; Chung, Tammy et al. (2010) Gender differences in the relationship between white matter organization and adolescent substance use disorders. Drug Alcohol Depend 110:55-61

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