How a brain gene (GRIN2), HIV medicines, and cocaine may harm the brain
Official title: Role of GRIN2 in ART and SUD associated neurological deficits.
Funded at Meharry Medical College · NIH-11171682 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how commonly used HIV drugs called INSTIs together with cocaine use may change brain cells and mental health in people living with HIV.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Meharry Medical College NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $731,389 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA057204-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11171682 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are people living with HIV who are taking an INSTI-containing antiretroviral regimen and have current or past cocaine use.
✕Less likely to help
People without HIV, people not taking INSTI drugs, or those without cocaine exposure are unlikely to directly benefit from this project.
What this research studies
If you have HIV, this work will look at how INSTI antiretroviral drugs and long-term cocaine use together affect brain function, focusing on a gene called GRIN2 that helps control calcium signaling in nerve cells. The team will use laboratory models and biological samples to see how these drugs and cocaine change neuronal signaling and behavior. Their experiments aim to link molecular changes in GRIN2 and calcium handling with the neuropsychiatric symptoms some patients report. Understanding these links could explain why mood, cognition, or other brain problems develop in some people on INSTI regimens, especially when cocaine use is present.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help explain and prevent ART-related brain or mood problems and guide safer treatment choices for people with HIV who use cocaine.
How similar studies have gone: Previous reports have linked INSTI drugs to neuropsychiatric side effects and some lab studies exist, but focusing on GRIN2 and the combined effect with chronic cocaine is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Meharry Medical College
Nashville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dash, Chandravanu — Meharry Medical College
- Study coordinator: Dash, Chandravanu
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.