Air, Brain and Behavior (ABB) Study
Affiliated Groups
Status
In Progress
Overview
Description:
A recent article in Science [The Polluted Brain] suggests that air pollution exposure might influence the brain and how it ages. Animal studies also show that early exposure to air pollutants can influence brain structures and functions later on in life.
The American Lung Association’s 2016 “State of the Air” report found more than half (52.1%) of the people in the United States live in counties that have unhealthy air. In Los Angeles, schools and houses continue to be built by freeways.
A new avenue of research for The Herting Laboratory is the AIR, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR (ABB) STUDY, which aims to assess how pollutants in the air may influence the brain and subsequent cognition.
Specifically, we are teaming up with scientists from the Children’s Health Study in order to examine how air pollution during childhood and adolescence may influence brain structure and function in adulthood.
The ABB study uses a variety of MRI scan types to better understand how air pollution may impact the brain.
Principal Investigator
Explore Research
Evaluation of Two Tribal MAT Grants
The USC team will also conduct a program evaluation to assess grantee efforts as well as successes and areas for improvement in both the NMAT and TUICDBP grants. Regarding grantee efforts, the USC team seeks to understand strengths, challenges, and key takeaways of grantee approaches to implementing community-defined best practices.
Substance Use Disorder Policy Advocacy Training Program
USC is delivering the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Policy Advocacy Training Program to address the need for policy advocates focused on SUD issues in California’s American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities.
Collaboration Improvement Project
Challenges around collaboration between state/local entities and American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) Tribal nations and Tribal/Urban Indian organizations are common nationwide and span many areas of work. Seeking to learn more about and address some of these challenges, the USC Keck School of Medicine will carry out a project to explore and address some of these challenges as they relate to substance use disorder/opioid use disorder in California.