Project Grant R01AA031269

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) awarded a $517,248 Project Grant under the Alcohol Research Programs (CFDA 93.273) to the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS). The grant supports research to explore the mechanisms through which acute and chronic exposure to ethanol regulates a neural pathway involving norepinephrine, astrocytes, and dopamine neurons in the ventral periaqueductal gray region. This pathway is hypothesized to play a role in alcohol's effects on sleep-related behaviors. UMMS is collaborating with sub-awardee Emory University to conduct cell-type specific proteomic experiments and in vivo electrophysiology, and with sub-awardee Christopher Newport University to examine the subcellular distribution and regulation of adrenergic receptors in the ventral periaqueductal gray region under chronic ethanol exposure. The project aims to advance understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the complex relationships between alcohol use, sleep disturbances, and arousal, with the goal of informing improved treatment strategies for alcohol use disorder. The grant period runs from July 2024 to May 2029.