Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Texas at San Antonio received a $185,279 Project Grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279) for the period July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028. The award supports research titled "Targeting the Midbrain Astrocyte Epigenome to Regulate Drug-Dependent Behavior," which investigates how abused substances alter gene regulation in ventral tegmental area astrocytes—non-neuronal brain cells that play a modulatory role in drug intake and drug-seeking behavior. The research leverages chromatin accessibility analysis and transcriptional profiling to identify drug-mediated epigenetic alterations in response to cocaine, psychostimulants, and opioids, with the objective of manipulating these regulatory elements to suppress drug-dependent behaviors.

The project delivers fundamental neuroscience research outputs examining the molecular mechanisms underlying addiction, with emphasis on characterizing the time course of chromatin and transcriptional changes in midbrain astrocytes following drug exposure. This work extends current understanding beyond established research on nucleus accumbens astrocytes to explore a distinct neurobiological pathway relevant to the National Institute on Drug Abuse's mission to develop new knowledge and approaches for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of drug use, misuse, and addiction.