Investigators: John Hewitt, Ph.D. (University of Colorado, Institute for Behavioral Genetics), Christian Hopfer, Ph.D. (University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine)
Release Date: TBA
Abstract: Component 1 of NIDA Center Grant 2P60DA011015 (Center PI: Hewitt, Comp1 PI: Hopfer) is conducting a genome wide association study (GWA) of adolescent substance abuse and dependence, conduct disorder, and HIV-related risk behaviors. Utilizing existing cases (n=1,000) and controls (n=1,000) collected through the Center and an affiliated R01 (DA015522, PI: Hopfer) (collectively termed Sample 1 hereafter). We will search for genetic loci predisposing to these serious problem behaviors by using a principal components approach to test for loci associated with “behavioral disinhibition,” a factor indexed by adolescent substance abuse and dependence, conduct disorder, and HIV-related risk behaviors.
Component 1 of the Center is also assessing a new cohort of 600 adolescent probands recruited from adolescent substance abuse treatment programs and 600 controls recruited from a primary care clinic serving the same catchment area as the youth in treatment. The new sample (Sample 2) will be interviewed with the same measures used in Sample 1 that characterize substance abuse and dependence, conduct disorder, and HIV-related risk behaviors and, add more detailed well-validated measures of HIV-related risk behaviors. Sample 2 will incorporate findings from sample 1 by conducting a GWA study of behavioral disinhibition utilizing the more detailed measures of HIV-related risk behaviors; such efforts will statistically incorporate information regarding Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with behavioral disinhibition in Sample 1. This new sample will also allow characterization of HIV-related risk behaviors among adolescents with high behavioral disinhibition and racially/ethnically similar controls, and will allow the examination of within-individual association between substance intoxication and engagement in HIV-related risk behavior utilizing a case-crossover design.
This would be the first study, to our knowledge, utilizing a GWA approach to search for genes predisposing to adolescent substance abuse and dependence, conduct disorder, and HIV-related risk behaviors.
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