How substance use, mood, and brain development interact in young people living with HIV
Official title: Cape Town Adolescent Antiretroviral Cohort- Substance, Imaging, Mental Health (CTAAC-SIM)
Funded at University of Cape Town · NIH-11139635 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how substance use, mood problems, and brain changes affect adolescents and young adults living with HIV in Cape Town.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Cape Town NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rondebosch, South Africa) |
| Project start | August 1, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $474,228 |
| NIH project number | 5R33DA053736-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11139635 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adolescents and young adults living with HIV in the Cape Town area, including both perinatally infected and behaviorally infected individuals, would be ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without HIV, those outside the adolescent/young adult age range, or those unable to participate in Cape Town activities are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
You would be asked about substance use, mood, and daily functioning and may have brain scans and cognitive tests. The project compares young people who acquired HIV at birth with those who became infected during adolescence to see differences in substance use and brain development. Researchers combine questionnaires, medical records, neuropsychological testing, and brain imaging to map links between HIV, substance use, and mental health during brain maturation. Results aim to identify patterns that could guide more tailored care for different groups of youth with HIV.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could help tailor mental health, substance-use support, and brain-health monitoring for young people with HIV.
How similar studies have gone: There is prior brain-imaging and substance-use research in youth with HIV, but direct comparisons between perinatally and behaviorally infected young people are uncommon, so this work is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Cape Town
Rondebosch, South Africa Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hoare, Jacqueline — University of Cape Town
- Study coordinator: Hoare, Jacqueline
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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.