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New Grants Awarded

In May 2010, the NRLC was funded by NIDA to conduct a large prospective study of development of impulse control among children and adolescents who are at high risk for problems with substance abuse.

In April 2010, the NRLC was funded by NIAAA to investigate how behavioral impulsivity and response to alcohol and serotonin manipulation can be used to predict capacity to reduce binge drinking over time.

In December, 2009 NIAAA awarded the NRLC a three year project to study the role of impulsivity and serotonin function in maintaining binge drinking behaviors.

The NRLC received three grants as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  One grant funds clinical research training of four college students during the summers of 2009 and 2010.  A second supplement funds investigation of serotonin function of adolescent psychiatric patients by bio-chemical and molecular biological analyses of the lymphoblastoid cells.  The third supplement will accelerate the pace of research investigating the role of serotonin in alcohol induced changes in impulsive behavior of adults.

 

Meetings & Presentations

  • Dr. Dougherty was invited to be a part of a panel of NIDA sponsored scientific workgroup at Columbia University on the topic of suicide and drug use. PubMed
  • Dr. Mathias was invited to present "When everyday is Friday: Cognitive and behavioral effects of adolescent marijuana use" at the Research Institute on Addictions in Buffalo, New York.
  • As part of the preparation for presentations at the International Society for Research in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, Sarah Farris, Sharon Cates, and Dr. Mathias were previewed on makesigns.com.
  • Samantha John presented her poster "Baseline plasma L-tryptophan levels are related to differences in aggressive responding following alcohol consumption" at the Texas Research Society on Alcoholism annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas.
  • Drs. Richard and Dougherty presented their symposium entitled "Advances and Considerations in L-tryptophan Manipulation Procedures for Humans" at the 12th International Society for Tryptophan Research (ISTRY) in Florence, Italy.  Dr. Dougherty also served as on the International Program Committee, chairing the Psychological Aspects section of the ISTRY program.
  • Dr. Mathias was invited to do a presentation on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Conduct Disorder for staff of the Good Samaritan Community Services summer enrichment program.

       NARSAD 2010 Healthy Minds across America

  • Dr. Dougherty presented his work on Risk Factors and Development of Drug Use among Adolescents at the NARSAD 2010 Healthy Minds across America meeting in San Antonio. 
  • Sarah Farris presented on Development of Impulse Control in At-Risk Youth.
  • Amanda Lopez presented on Treatment Outcomes in Hyperactive, Inattentive, and Aggressive Youth.
  • Dr. Kristen Ballesteros presented on Treatment Research on Binge Alcohol Drinking.

      

       Research Society on Alcoholism

       The NRLC had a strong showing this year with 6 posters at the 33rd annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism

  • Dr. Acheson presented on Comparison of three distinct forms of impulsivity in healthy adults with or without family histories of alcohol-related problems.
  • Dr. Dawes presented on Comparison of adolescents with alcohol use disorder, cannabis dependence, and controls recruited from the community.
  • Samantha John presented on Alcohol expectancies, not what you'd expect.
  • Dr. Richard presented on Effects of alcohol consumption on 3 components of impulsive behavior in healthy social drinkers.
  • Dr. Ballesteros presented on Binge city U.S.A.: Characteristics of adult binge drinkers in San Antonio.
  • Dr. James presented on Impulsivity, anger, and aggression among Conduct Disordered adolescents who have initiated alcohol use.

 

NRLC Personnel News 

  • Allison Ford, B.A., joined the NRLC in July of 2010 as a social science research associate
  • Paolo Medrano, B.A., joined the NRLC in June of 2010 as a social science research associate.
  • Questella Alfred B.A., joined the NRLC in February 2010 as a social science research associate.
  • Amanda Paley B.A., joined the NRLC in February 2010 as a research coordinator.
  • Kristen Ballesteros, Ph.D. joined the NRLC in April 2010 as a postdoctoral fellow.
  • Jamie Goldstone attended the 2010 Texas Relays to cheer her daughter to a 4th place finish (out of 48 regional teams) in the girls track 4x400 meter relay. Congratulations Sabria on your strong anchoring finish!
  • Jessica Harrison will be pursuing a Ph.D. in Social Psychology in the fall of 2010 at Portland State University.
  • Dr. Nathalie Hill-Kapturczak was appointed as Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio
  • Samantha John will be pursuing a M.A. in Clinical Psychology in the fall 2010 at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

  • Dr. Donald Dougherty was recently named as the Regents' Research Scholar by the University of Texas system.  This award recognizes an important faculty recruitment and provides financial support for research infrastructure.

  • Dr. Donald Dougherty was invited to serve as a full time member of the NIH Adult Psychopathology and Disorders of Aging Study Section (APDA). 
    His period of service to this study section runs from July 2009 - June 2013.
  • Drs. Dougherty, Mathias, and Dawes were interviewed by the Association for Accreditation of Human Research Protection Program, as part of UTHSCSA's successful research accreditation.

  • Dr. Donald Dougherty was appointed as the Vice President of the International Society for Tryptophan Research.

NRLC in the News

NRLC Fun

The NRLC participatedd in a lab orientation and review of new and ongoing research projects during our retreat at the Rancho Cortez near Bandera, Texas.

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