Project Grant R01DA062450

The National Institute on Drug Abuse awarded Rutgers The State University of New Jersey (doing business as RBHS-School of Nursing) $642,253 on August 15, 2026, under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279) to conduct high-precision mapping of sex hormone modulation of reward value computations in opioid addiction.

The research addresses disparities in medications for opioid use disorder treatment, which fails in a sizable proportion of patients, particularly female patients who experience higher relapse rates and earlier treatment dropout than males. The project investigates how fluctuating ovarian sex hormones—estradiol and progesterone—modulate dopamine-mediated neural computations, specifically reward prediction error, which the brain uses to learn and update what is valuable and when to take actions that maximize reward. The research tests whether estradiol-related changes in reward value computations heighten reward sensitivity and transiently bias decisions toward high-value options such as those associated with opioid use. Understanding these mechanisms may support development of personalized treatments and improved outcomes for female patients with opioid use disorder.

Performance of work occurs in New Jersey. The project period runs from the award date through May 31, 2031. This is a Project Grant, the standard assistance type for NIDA-supported research projects with project periods typically not exceeding five years.