NIDA Track to Focus on Opioids, Big Data
Abstract
Among the six sessions organized by the National Institute on Drug Abuse will be a presentation on the demographics of the now fully enrolled ABCD cohort and a look at the intersection of opioids, depression, and suicide.
Opioids and adolescents will be among several subjects addressed by five research symposia organized by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) for the Annual Meeting in San Francisco. In addition, NIDA Director Nora Volkow, M.D., will present a lecture at a Presidential Session on Monday, May 20, at 8 a.m.
In her Presidential Session, NIDA Director Nora Volkow, M.D., will discuss the important role of psychiatrists in managing the opioid crisis as well as current and potential therapies.
Volkow’s presentation, titled “Interventions to Address Opioid Addiction,” will provide an overview of the ongoing opioid crisis and the important role of psychiatrists and other health care professionals to combat it. She will also review the current evidence-based interventions for opioid use disorder (OUD) as well as emerging therapeutic strategies.
Volkow will discuss the National Insitute of Health’s HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative, a multi-agency effort launched in 2018. As part of this initiative, NIDA is supporting research to expedite the development of new OUD therapies, test new ways to identify and treat newborns exposed to opioids during pregnancy, and find better ways to integrate promising prevention and treatment strategies into multiple clinical settings.
NIDA’s research sessions on OUD include the following:
Opioids, Depression, and Suicide: A Deadly Trio (May 20, 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.). This panel session, which will include past APA President Maria A. Oquendo, M.D., Ph.D., chair of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, will explore the biological and psychosocial factors by which opioid misuse and depression increase the risk of suicide. The session will also feature a discussion on a novel educational module being developed for use in addiction treatment centers to help identify patients at greatest risk of suicide.
Impact of Marijuana on Opioid Use and Pain: A Translational Overview (May 21, 8 a.m.-9:30 a.m.). This session will examine the intriguing though controversial question of whether marijuana could and should be used to combat the ongoing opioid crisis. The panelists will address the clinical evidence behind the analgesic properties of marijuana (or other cannabinoid products) and discuss this drug’s potential in treating co-occurring pain and addiction. This session will also explore topics such as how changing marijuana policies have impacted opioid use and patient outcomes.
Utilization of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in Justice Populations (May 21, 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m.). The criminal justice system can pose significant barriers to effective treatment for patients with OUD. Such barriers include forced treatment cessation during incarceration, difficulty re-engaging in treatment after prison release, and less access to OUD medications when under community supervision (probation or parole). This session will discuss strategies psychiatrists can use to engage patients in the criminal justice system in therapy. The panel will discuss the important role of supportive behavioral interventions for this population.
The other two sessions in the NIDA research track will feature the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. In December 2018, the National Institutes of Health announced that researchers had completed enrollment for the ABCD Study. In total, 11,874 children, including 2,100 twins or triplets, have enrolled in the trial.
Environmental Factors in Adolescent Development: Emerging Findings From the ABCD Study (May 20, 1 p.m.-4 p.m.). This session will outline the basic design of the ABCD Study as well as the demographic characteristics of the cohort. The researchers will present some preliminary findings about how environmental exposures influence cognitive and psychological development. The data will include the effects of both community-wide environmental risks such as lead exposure as well as individual factors including exposure to stress and screen-related activities.
Innovative Tools for Population Neuroscience in the Age of Big Data (May 21, 8 a.m.-9:30 a.m.). With over 10,000 participants providing behavioral, neurological, and genetic information, the ABCD study is the epitome of population data, also known as “big data.” This session will use examples from ABCD data to discuss the critical issues of big data research. These include how to factor in genetics and the environment to observe developmental changes and how to ensure that cohort findings accurately reflect the whole U.S. population. In addition, presenters will provide a tutorial on how researchers can access and navigate the publicly available ABCD data portal. ■
