The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) awarded a $407,060 Project Grant (CFDA 93.273 - Alcohol Research Programs) to The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. This 5-year grant, running from August 2024 to April 2029, will fund research to characterize changes in neural activity within the corticostriatal circuit following chronic alcohol exposure in rodent models. The key objectives are to: 1) Examine neural activity changes in the anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and dorsomedial striatum of rats performing a decision-making task after chronic alcohol exposure; 2) Use optogenetic manipulations to probe the role of specific corticostriatal projections in this behavior in alcohol-exposed rats; and 3) Determine if neural activity related to alcohol self-administration is altered by prior chronic alcohol exposure. This research aims to provide new insights into how chronic alcohol use impacts the neural circuitry underlying executive function and cognitive control.
Generated 3/4/25, 8:36 AM