Project Grant R01AA032271

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism awarded The Research Foundation for the State University of New York $2.12 million on August 4, 2026, under the Alcohol Research Programs (CFDA 93.273) to support research into neurobiological factors contributing to tolerance to the adverse consequences of alcohol.

The research examines how individuals vary in their sensitivity to the aversive effects of alcohol and how tolerance to these effects develops following repeated alcohol consumption, facilitating escalation to binge drinking and alcohol use disorder. The project employs recombinant viral vector strategies and validated alcohol drinking behavioral paradigms to demonstrate that posterior insular cortex neuronal ensembles critically contribute to individual differences in sensitivity to adverse alcohol effects and the development of tolerance. The posterior insular cortex conveys the salience of alcohol's adverse properties; recent rodent work shows that neural activity in this region is reduced following repeated alcohol exposure coincident with tolerance development, and that lesions to this region significantly reduce behavioral responsivity to alcohol's adverse consequences. The research aims to identify which precise neurobiological mechanisms confer differential sensitivity to alcohol's adverse effects and how these mechanisms are altered by tolerance development.

Performance occurs in Buffalo, New York, with a period of performance from August 4, 2026, through July 31, 2030. The Research Foundation for the State University of New York serves as the fiscal agent and sponsored programs administrator for SUNY institutions. The award is classified as a Project Grant, the standard assistance type for NIH research grants supporting defined projects with specified completion dates.