PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: EHLERS, CINDY L
GRANT NUMBER: R37 AA010201-19S1
ABSTRACT: Not onlt is information needed on the impact of the abuse of multiple drug use combinations in the rapidly expanding U.S. population but information on how co-morbid durg use impacts specific communitities, and ethnic minorities remains completely lacking and these data are critically needed in order to address health disparities. The United States Indian Health Services has cited substance abuse as one of the most urgent health problems facing Native Americans. Native Americans have the highest rates of alcohol, cannabis and stimulant use disorders of all ethnic groups. The research plan, described in this proposal, was designed to specifically address the issues associated with multiple drug dependencies in a vey high risk population of reservation dwelling, Native Americans who are indigenous to San Diego county (collectively called Mission Indians). The studies proposed in this application will provide the opportunity to evaluate existing datasets and will also allow for the selective extension of our ongoing studies in alcohol dependence to other drug dependencies (tobacco, cannabis, stimulants) in members of this Native American population where overally lifetime prevalence rates for substance dependence are extremely high. This supplement will allow us to extend our current research to the following important investigations: (1) to categorize the trajectories of the initiation of substance use to determine in what order, and over what time frames specific substances are used starting in early adolescence and progressing through older ages; (2) to identify the risk factors and biomarkers (Event-Related potentials/oscillations) found in Native Americans adolescents and young adults who develop multiple substance dependencies; (3) to document the clinical characteristics, including co-morbidity with other psychiatric and medical disorders, of Native Americans with multiple substance dependence; (4) to determine what factors mediate or moderate remission from multiple drug dependencies; (5) to collect data on what types of treatment options co-morbid drug users have tried and which ones were sucessful; (6) to identify the genetic component associated with co-morbid drug use. These studies of this unique population will provide information in order to close the scientific knowledge gap and gain critical information on drug co-morbidity in Native Americans.