This application requests 3 years of funding through the K25 Mentored Quantitative Research Scientist Development Award mechanism. With a Ph.D. degree in physics, the candidate proposes to receive additional training in neurocognitive and pharmacological aspects of chronic substance use to supplement his significant training and research experience in neuroimaging. The candidate's short-term goals are to increase his knowledge of the neuropsychological, clinical and diagnostic instruments used in clinical settings, to better characterize the neurobiological risk factors for substance abuse and psychopathology and to better understand the pharmacology and health effects of drug abuse and addiction. The support of this K25 award will eventually provide the applicant protected time and resources to establish expertise in merging brain imaging strategies with neuropsychological metrics used in various elements of studying drug addiction, which will lead to an independent career in the field of substance abuse and addiction, thus improving individual and public health. His training plan will consist of individual sessions with the proposed outstanding team of mentors, completing course work, scheduled laboratory visits, attending national and international scientific meetings and collecting imaging data using a novel, noninvasive neuroimaging protocol to quantify measures of oxidative stress levels in the brain. More specifically, he proposes a novel modified proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy sequence to reliably and accurately measure the concentration of glutathione (GSH), considered the main antioxidant that is critically important for the maintenance of oxidative balance and the viability and function of virtually all cells. The candidate will document, for the first time, if individuals with cannabis use disorder exhibit a brain GSH deficit in the frontal lobe and whether there is an association between GSH levels and the clinical presentation, advancing our understanding of the etiological processes of substance use and providing a compelling justification for developing alternative novel therapeutic approaches to reduce oxidative stress. Completing the proposed mentored training and research plans will allow the candidate to establish expertise toward an independent career in the field of substance abuse and will facilitate the application of new and novel imaging techniques to address changing public health needs.
With more U.S. states legalizing medicinal and recreational cannabis an understanding of its underlying neurobiological mechanisms is becoming increasingly important. This proposal will employ improved quantitative magnetic resonance spectroscopy methods to evaluate oxidative stress in cannabis use disorder , and its impact on the clinical presentation such as cognition, which can then lead to alternative novel therapeutic approaches to reduce oxidative stress, improving individual and public health.
