Understanding how social stress affects opioid use in HIV-positive teens
Official title: Mechanisms underlying prescription opioid use post social defeat in HIV+ adolescents
Funded at University of Nebraska Medical Center · NIH-10832058 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study looks at how social stress, like bullying, affects the use of prescription opioids in teenagers living with HIV, aiming to understand the brain changes that might lead to addiction and mental health problems, so we can find better ways to help them.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Nebraska Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Omaha, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $195,971 |
| NIH project number | 5R21DA058588-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-10832058 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are adolescents living with HIV who have experienced social stress or bullying.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not living with HIV or who have not experienced social defeat may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates the effects of social stress on prescription opioid use among adolescents living with HIV. It focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that lead to increased opioid use following experiences of social defeat, which can be likened to bullying. By studying changes in extracellular vesicles in the brains of HIV-positive adolescent rats, the research aims to uncover how these changes may contribute to addiction and mental health issues. The findings could provide insights into better treatment and prevention strategies for this vulnerable population.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved interventions for preventing opioid misuse in HIV-positive adolescents.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown that social stress can lead to increased substance use, but this specific approach focusing on HIV-positive adolescents is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pendyala, Gurudutt — University of Nebraska Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Pendyala, Gurudutt
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Systems analysis to improve opioid use disorder care after jail release (SAIA-MOUD)
A program to help people with opioid use disorder get better, faster, and safer care after they leave jail.
-
Precise epigenetic drugs for opioid addiction
A tiny, targeted drug approach is being developed to help people with opioid use disorder by rewriting the epigenetic signals in the brain to reduce cravings and relapse risk.
-
Increasing Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder for Unhoused Montanans
This project helps unhoused people in Montana get life-saving medicines for opioid use disorder through clinics connected to syringe service programs, a nurse-led MOUD model, and peer support.
-
Optimizing long-acting PrEP and opioid treatment for people in jails and prisons
This project tests a real-world approach to using long-acting PrEP and buprenorphine for HIV prevention and opioid treatment among incarcerated individuals and after release.
-
Scaling up medications for opioid use disorder in residential treatment programs
This grant studies how to help residential treatment programs provide medications for opioid use disorder to reduce overdoses after discharge, focusing on real-world settings and policies.
-
Increasing Capacity at a Native Community Clinic to Improve Opioid Care for urban AI/AN
This grant helps a Native American health clinic build its research capacity to better serve urban American Indian and Alaska Native people dealing with opioid use disorder and related health issues.
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.