Grant: DRA : Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral Program (CGRS D)

Little is known about the consequences to brain health that may follow opioid overdose. It is also not known if a head injury might change how much one is at-risk for an overdose. This project aims to examine the consequences of opioid overdose and whether the risk of overdose is increased by a traumatic brain injury (TBI). It is possible that TBI changes the amount that people engage in non-prescription use of pain-relieving substances, specifically opioids, which could place them at higher risk for overdosing. Canada is in the midst of an opioid crisis. Deaths from opioid overdose have increased substantially in the past decade. Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Canada) has been extra-ordinarily impacted by the opioid emergency. Using data from residents of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside that has been collected for over a decade, on weekly substance use, brain injuries, non-fatal overdoses, mortality records, cognitive assessments, and scans of brain structure, this research aims to: (1) Assess whether opioid overdose changes brain health, by examining brain structure. (2) Assess whether opioid overdose changes cognitive performance. (3) Assess whether traumatic brain injury changes use of opioids and/or increases chances of overdose. Brain scans and scores on cognitive tests from before and after an opioid overdose occurs will be examined to see if overdose changes brain structure or cognition. We will assess when, and how frequently, people experience opioid overdose after a TBI, compared to those who are uninjured, to see if overdose risk is greater after TBI, and if the use of opioids and/or other substances increases after TBI. The overall goal of this research is to characterize the consequences to brain health and behaviour of opioid overdose and brain injury. We expect results may have implications for overdose prevention and treatment efforts, as well as treatments for TBI and problematic opioid use.