Adolescent MDMA use has increased dramatically since 1998, although little is known regarding the clinical impairments or service needs of MDMA-abusing youth. The proposed R03 includes a longitudinal evaluation of the nature and persistence of cognitive and psychiatric impairments in young MDMA abusers. Pilot findings indicate that MDMA abuse is endemic among youth residing at the proposed project site. All residents complete lengthy rehabilitation stays; thus, the proposed study site affords a unique opportunity to study the nature and course of neuropsychiatric dysfunction in youth at risk for the development of MDMA-related functional impairments.
Specific aims of the proposed investigation are to describe differences among heavy, moderate, and experimental adolescent MDMA users and nonusers with regard to cognitive and psychiatric dysfunction and evaluate whether heavy MDMA users demonstrate less reversal of these impairments than lighter users or nonusers between admission to the facility and 6-months follow-up. The proposed R03 also incorporates a case-control study comparing the cognitive and psychiatric functioning of all identified heavy MDMA users and matched MDMA-negative, polydrug-using controls. High-resolution MR scans will be collected and analyzed via high-dimensional brain mapping to compare hippocampal volume and shape in a subset of 15 heavy MDMA users and 15 matched controls. Case-control findings will provide feasibility data for a larger study evaluating MDMA-induced changes to brain structures, which may form the neurobiological basis for observed dysfunction. All youth (N equal to about 168) admitted to the state's largest residential facility for juvenile offenders over 14 months will be recruited and will complete neuropsychological tests and structured psychiatric interviews at admission to the facility and 6 months later. Project findings will provide critical preliminary data describing neuropsychiatric impairments in adolescent MDMA abusers and will serve as the basis for a larger and longer-term study of young MDMA abusers.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Small Research Grants (R03)
Project #
1R03DA015556-01
Application #
6507790
Study Section
Social Sciences, Nursing, Epidemiology and Methods 4 (SNEM)
Program Officer
Frascella, Joseph
Project Start
2002-09-20
Project End
2004-05-30
Budget Start
2002-09-20
Budget End
2003-05-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2002
Total Cost
$77,000
Indirect Cost
Name
Washington University
Department
Type
Schools of Social Work
DUNS #
062761671
City
Saint Louis
State
MO
Country
United States
Zip Code
63130
Whitt, Ahmed; Howard, Matthew O (2013) Assessing empathy in antisocial youth: factor analytic and validation findings. Psychol Rep 112:325-39
Howard, Matthew O; Garland, Eric L (2013) Volatile substance misuse: toward a research agenda. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 39:3-7
Howard, Matthew O; Hall, Martin T; Edwards, Jeffrey D et al. (2011) Suicide by asphyxiation due to helium inhalation. Am J Forensic Med Pathol 32:61-70
Perron, Brian E; Howard, Matthew O (2009) Adolescent inhalant use, abuse and dependence. Addiction 104:1185-92
Vaughn, Michael; Wallace, John; Perron, Brian et al. (2008) Does marijuana use serve as a gateway to cigarette use for high-risk African-American youth? Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 34:782-91
DeLisi, Matt; Vaughn, Michael G (2008) The Gottfredson-Hirschi critiques revisited: reconciling self-control theory, criminal careers, and career criminals. Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol 52:520-37
Vaughn, Michael G; Howard, Matthew O; Delisi, Matt (2008) Psychopathic personality traits and delinquent careers: an empirical examination. Int J Law Psychiatry 31:407-16
Vaughn, Michael G; Wallace Jr, John M; Davis, Larry E et al. (2008) Variations in mental health problems, substance use, and delinquency between African American and Caucasian juvenile offenders: implications for reentry services. Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol 52:311-29
Perron, Brian E; Vaughn, Michael G; Howard, Matthew O (2008) Reasons for using inhalants: evidence for discrete classes in a sample of incarcerated adolescents. J Subst Abuse Treat 34:450-5
Vaughn, Michael G; Perron, Brian E; Howard, Matthew O (2007) Variations in social contexts and their effect on adolescent inhalant use: a latent profile investigation. Drug Alcohol Depend 91:129-33

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