C0-Overall: Fetal Ethanol-induced behavior deficits: Mechanisms, diagnosis and Intervention

NMARC is a NIAAA-designated Specialized Alcohol Research P50 Center comprised of teams of preclinical and clinical scientists with a history of collaborative research interactions, whose expertise and contributions have synergized the center’s research environment and is facilitating progress towards the achievement of NMARC’s three strategic objectives. These objectives are to: 1) Advance our understanding of how prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) affects basic neurobiological mechanisms resulting in functional brain damage, which can lead to life-long adverse neurobehavioral consequences. 2) Develop more effective approaches for the diagnosis of individuals with FASD by establishing more sensitive and clinically reliable biomarkers of PAE that are detectable earlier in life, are prognostic of functional brain damage, and could predict long-lasting neurobehavioral consequences in patients with FASD. 3) Develop interventions more effective for PAE-related behavioral deficits. Better interventions may require combinations of neurobehavioral, educational and/or pharmacotherapeutic approaches to ameliorate the often subtle, but long-lasting impact of PAE. NMARC’s prevailing philosophy is that a research center organized to maximize the coordination, communication and synergistic integration across multiple lines of preclinical and clinical investigation provides the best long-term prospect of achieving significant progress towards the dual clinical goals of better diagnosis and interventions that are more effective for patients with FASD. NMARC’s specific aims as an integrated whole during the P50 Phase III will continue to be to: 1) Accelerate progress on each on NMARC’s three strategic objectives. 2) Catalyze the expansion of NMARC’s research capacity and capabilities. 3) Enhance our ability to disseminate knowledge about FASD through seminars, symposia and community outreach activities. 4) Increase the number of undergraduate and graduate students, fellows and residents training in the FASD research field. This competing renewal contains three preclinical and one clinical research components, each consisting of teams of investigators whose projects address one or more of NMARC’s three strategic objectives. Three core components support the research program: 1) A Pilot Project Core of two two-year projects involving faculty investigators new to FASD research. 2) A Scientific Core supporting production of experimental offspring for preclinical projects and recruitment of human subjects for the clinical project, as well as data management and statistical support for all NMARC- affiliated projects. 3) An Administrative Core providing scientific and administrative leadership for the entire NMARC, along with administrative support and budgetary oversight of all NMARC-related activities. The Administrative Core and a Steering Committee are also responsible for ensuring progress towards achieving the Specific Aims of the Center as a whole. Assessment of NMARC’s progress towards the achievement of these aims and the strategic objectives is the responsibility of the Steering Committee, working in conjunction with our external Program Advisory Committee comprised of five renowned alcohol research investigators.