AERIAL: Development of neurobehavioral signatures and mechanism-based interventions for SUD in adolocents (BMBF, TP 01)

Addictive disorders are among the most frequent and costly disorders in industrialized countries. While substantial research focused on treatment of single substance use disorders, most interventions do not address comorbid disorders sufficiently, are provided too late, do not reach the majority of addicted subjects and are not adjusted with respect to environmental stressors, affective comorbidity and age-specific contexts.
The main aim of the consortium is to improve the healthcare system by 1) assessing new access pathways including a wider range of healthcare professionals, and 2) evaluating existing and developing novel early assessment and intervention tools including e-health applications (computer/internet/smart phone-based). We will address patients suffering from the most prevalent substance use disorders, particularly alcohol- or tobacco-related, including as major target groups: 1) adolescents, 2) adults, and 3) older adults. We will use state-of-the-art basic science approaches to assess combinatorial effects of the different substances and we will adapt our approach to age-related differences in treatment needs. To adapt early interventions to modify risk and resilience factors across the lifespan, we will use existing cohorts such as the longitudinal IMAGEN sample of (now) young adults, representative data from Adolescent Psychiatry and from a systematic assessment of community and hospital general medical settings as well as observational data from studies on the mechanisms of addictive behavior. We will focus on proactive approaches for all primary medical care patients including general practices and hospitals. In all settings, we will assess comorbid mental disorders and gender and migration specific factors such as social exclusion and discrimination.

Staff

Michael Smolka (PI)
Juliane Fröhner (Researcher)

Funding

BMBF 01EE1406B

Link

https://www.gesundheitsforschung-bmbf.de/de/Risikoprofile-Alkoholmissbrauch-ueber-Lebensspanne.php