Alcohol use disorders (AUD) account for a disproportionately high share of the health burden in India and other low- and middle-income countries. This increasing burden is linked to societal changes in emerging nations, which include growing availability of alcohol, greater normalization of use and rapid changes in socio-economic conditions.
The c-VEDA project proposes to investigate if environmental risk factors in industrialized countries and emerging societies that are embedded in a different socio-cultural and genetic (ethnic) context shape brain function and behavior in distinct ways, thus leading to different risk constellations and neurobehavioral trajectories for substance misuse and externalizing disorders.
In order to address this aim, the project will establish a comprehensive database allowing comparative analyses of behavioral trajectories in childhood and adolescence, which will provide a platform for sustained India-UK collaborations in mental health research.
You can learn more about the project in our About page.