# Multi-parametric MRI Assessment of Brain Connectivity and Spectroscopic Biomarkers in Patients with a Substance Use Disorder

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · 2021 · $191,709

## Abstract

Opioid use disorder (OUD) has been declared as a public health emergency in the United States. Data from
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate a fivefold increase in the number of deaths due to
opioids from 1999 to 2016. Neuroimaging is a powerful tool in understanding the neurocircuitry and physiology
of OUD in order to target treatments for patients suffering from this disorder. This K23 application presents a
training program for a board-certified clinical medical physicist, who specializes in magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI), in order to receive training in the neuroscience of substance use disorders and to become an
independent investigator. The goals set in this application will build on the candidate’s imaging physics
background by (1) developing a foundational knowledge of brain function and neurocircuitry in substance use
disorders in order to design, optimize, and interpret advanced neuroimaging techniques for addiction research;
(2) acquiring training in professional development to become an independent investigator, mentor and
educator; and (3) receiving additional training in the responsible and ethical conduct of scientific research. The
overall training program will involve a research study focused on (1) brain effective connectivity (i.e., directional
connectivity) of neural circuits in OUD, and (2) magnetic resonance spectroscopic quantification of
neurotransmitters related to these circuits. In this proposed work, we will employ fMRI-based dynamic causal
modeling of effective connectivity with guided expertise from mentors in order to identify neurocircuits
underlying drug craving and attentional bias to dug cues. In addition, we will use MR spectroscopy to
investigate the neurotransmitters gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate in OUD and their relation
to drug craving and attentional bias, and to explore the association of these neurotransmitters with brain
effective connectivity.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10229537
- **Project number:** 5K23DA049216-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Brian Allen Taylor
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $191,709
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10229537

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10229537, Multi-parametric MRI Assessment of Brain Connectivity and Spectroscopic Biomarkers in Patients with a Substance Use Disorder (5K23DA049216-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10229537. Licensed CC0.

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