# Estradiol Effects on Behavioral and Reward Sensitivity to Alcohol across the Menstrual Cycle

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · 2020 · $556,069

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Alcohol use poses significant health problems particularly when characterized by bouts of heavy consumption
(i.e., binges). It is now recognized that women demonstrate greater vulnerability to the adverse effects of
alcohol, including greater physiological risk of organ damage (e.g., liver cirrhosis), than do men with
comparable histories of alcohol use. Research suggests that ovarian hormones play a role in substance abuse.
With regard to alcohol use, there is evidence to suggest that women may exhibit distinct patterns of heavy
drinking across the menstrual cycle. Indeed, our preliminary research shows that surges in follicular estradiol
[E2] at ovulation predict increased alcohol use in young women. Yet, to date no research has aimed to
determine the specific behavioral mechanisms by which rapid surges in E2 confer increased abuse potential of
alcohol. The proposed study directly examines ovarian hormone flux and acute sensitivity to alcohol to provide
the first rigorous and integrative test of the hypothesis that rapid rises in estradiol increase the acute rewarding
and disinhibiting effects of alcohol and that this heightened sensitivity increases alcohol use outside the
laboratory. A sample of 100 naturally-cycling women will be examined daily over their menstrual cycle using an
integrative combination of daily ecological assessments of hormone fluctuations and alcohol use along with
strategically-timed laboratory tests of their acute sensitivity to the rewarding and disinhibiting effects of a
controlled dose of alcohol. The findings will advance understanding of the neurobehavioral mechanisms
linking E2 to alcohol abuse and inform clinical assessment practice by highlighting the importance of menstrual
cycle phase and hormonal profiles when assessing alcohol abuse risk in young women.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10047374
- **Project number:** 1R01AA027990-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
- **Principal Investigator:** Mark T Fillmore
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $556,069
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-25 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10047374

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10047374, Estradiol Effects on Behavioral and Reward Sensitivity to Alcohol across the Menstrual Cycle (1R01AA027990-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10047374. Licensed CC0.

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