Training Grants: The Neuroimaging Sciences Training Program in Substance Abuse

The Neuroimaging Sciences Training Program (NISTP) in Addiction trains scientists in technological aspects of data acquisition and analysis, clinical and biological fundamentals in areas of interest to each trainee as related to substance abuse and dependence, development of research proposals, and generation of documentation to navigate today’s administrative requirements for imaging research.

The rapid advance in imaging technology over the last decade provides unparalleled opportunities to research the biological basis of brain function in substance use disorder. Examples of recent advances in neuroimaging technology include PET neuroreceptor imaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopic studies of neurotransmitter kinetics and fMRI mapping of brain function. Even more recently molecular imaging has been introduced to the armamentarium of researchers using imaging technology. Together, neuroimaging tools offer great promise for the expanded clinical utility of imaging in the diagnosis, treatment, and enhancement of knowledge of the pathophysiology of substance abuse disorders.