How opioid-use-disorder medications affect brain immune cells and thinking in people with HIV
Effects of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder on Microglial Activation and Neurocognition in People Living with HIV
This research compares how different opioid addiction medicines used by people with HIV affect brain immune cells and thinking.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11325817 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will compare people with HIV who are taking different medications for opioid use disorder to see how those drugs affect immune cells in the brain and mental skills. They will collect cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) via lumbar puncture and use single-cell genomic and epigenetic analyses to study microglia-like myeloid cells and other immune cells. The team will compare opioid antagonists like extended-release naltrexone with opioid agonists to look for differences in inflammation-related gene activity. Clinical cognitive testing will be done to link immune and epigenetic findings to thinking, memory, and other neurocognitive outcomes.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults living with HIV who have opioid use disorder and are willing to provide CSF samples, blood tests, and undergo cognitive testing are the best candidates.
Not a fit: People without HIV, those not on MOUD, or those unwilling to undergo lumbar puncture are unlikely to be eligible or to benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could help doctors choose opioid-use-disorder medicines that better protect brain immune health and thinking in people with HIV.
How similar studies have performed: Animal and preclinical work and a few CSF studies suggest opioids change brain inflammation, but directly comparing different MOUD on human CNS epigenetics and cognition is largely novel.
Where this research is happening
New Haven, United States
- Yale University — New Haven, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Farhadian, Shelli — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Farhadian, Shelli
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 below.