Effects of Adolescent Binge Drinking on Brain Development

by: Michael Saunders

The National Institutes of Health, also referred to as NIH, is an agency that is operating under the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

The NIH is primarily responsible for ensuring all of the country's biomedical and health-related research studies. The attempts of the NIH are always geared towards the attainment of their mission, which is to "seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce the burdens of illness and disability."

In line with this mission, the National Institutes of Health, in close cooperation with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has established the Effects of Adolescent Binge Drinking on Brain Development Project.

The Effects of Adolescent Binge Drinking on Brain Development Project intends to determine the effects of adolescent binge drinking on the synaptic maturation and myelin formation in the a person's developing brain.

The NIH and NIAAA plans to achieve this by soliciting exploratory or developmental research grant proposals that would potentially help in identifying the long-term consequences of adolescent binge drinking in the maturation of brain structure and its functions.

In addition, the NIH and NIAAA will utilize this research studies on animal models in order to unravel the underlying effects of excessive alcohol consumption on genetic, molecular and cellular mechanisms.

The scope of the study will include, but is not necessarily limited to:

1) The anatomical or functional studies on cortical synapse pruning or refinement in models of adolescent binge drinking.

  (continued...)

Effects of Adolescent Binge Drinking on Brain Development
  Page 2

About The Author Michael Saunders is an editor of TopGovernmentGrants.com one the the most comprehensive Websites offering information on government grants and federal government programs. He also maintains Websites providing resources on environmental grants and grants for youth programs.

Additional Resources

category - Health Grants

Early-Stage Innovative Technology Development for Cancer Research Program
The National Institutes of Health has collaborated with the National Cancer Institute(NCI) in order to establish Early-Stage Innovative Technology Development for Cancer Research Program, wherein both agencies intend to solicit grant applications expressing intents to conduct funded exploratory research projects that concentrate on the inception and development unique, innovative technological advances that could potentially be utilized in the study of cancer.

---

Cancer Education Grants Program
The National Cancer Institute has developed the Cancer Education Grants Program wherein it seeks to financially support innovative educational efforts that would contribute to the reduction of cancer incidences, morbidity and mortality rates; as well as the improvement of the quality of life of surviving cancer patients.

---

Leadership Group for a Clinical Research Network on Antibacterial Resistance Program
In line with this mission, the National Institutes of Health has collaborated with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in an attempt to establish the Leadership Group for a Clinical Research Network on Antibacterial Resistance Program.

---

Zambia Economic Resilience Program for Improved Food Security
The Zambia Economic Resilience Program for Improved Food Security is designed to implement innovative techniques and approaches that would hopefully enable the community's most vulnerable and poor rural families to improve food security by strengthening their economic resilience.

---