Project Description
Dr. Lisdahl’s NIH/NIDA-funded R01 study characterized the effects of drug use on brain health and established whether physical activity normalizes the negative consequences of use on the brain in teens. Data were collected from 100 teens and young adults with and without a history of cannabis and other substance use. Over five visits, all teens undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain and abdominal scan, VO2 (cardiorespiratory) testing, an activity log, cognitive testing and health questionnaires- this included a mini-mood, mini-neuropsychology and withdrawal battery over the first 4 weeks of monitored abistnence. Our lab is also a research site for the NIH-funded national multi-site Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. This study will follow 11,000 kids across 22 research sites for 10 years; we are currently in year 6 follow-up. For the parent study, we will examine multiple factors that predict child and adolescent neurodevelopment, including health behaviors and substance use patterns. They will examine whether early adolescent nicotine use is linked with impulsivity and reward seeking in the ABCD Study dataset. The student can then validate their findings in the R01 dataset in the near future.
Tasks and Responsibilites
The student will work directly on two NIH/NIDA-funded projects, the ABCD Study and RECOVER long-COVID cohort study. In addition to attending weekly laboratory meetings, they will assist with running ABCD Study research sessions, which include cognitive, psychiatric, and MRI testing. Notably, they will learn how to develop research aims and hypotheses, conduct a literature review, run appropriate statistical analysis, and scientific presentation skills with the ABCD Study database. Their research focus will be primarily on whether early nicotine use initiation is linked with impulsivity and reward functioning in adolescents.
Desired Qualifications
None Listed.