# Integration of molecular and neurocircuit pathologies across stages of addiction

> **NIH NIH P60** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2021 · $206,139

## Abstract

Scientific Resource Core
The primary goal of the UNC Alcohol Research Center (ARC) is to increase understanding of the molecular
and cellular pathogenesis in alcoholism. The purpose of the Scientific Resource Core (SRC) is to facilitate and
extend this integrated research effort by providing access to cutting-edge technology, shared facilities,
resources and technical expertise. In addition, the SRC fosters interaction among ARC investigators with the
explicit purpose of increasing coordination and cohesiveness among individual research components. In this
renewal application, the SRC has two specific goals. First, the SRC will support functional connectivity
magnetic resonance imaging (fcMRI) studies designed to discover novel alcohol-induced changes in neural
circuit connectivity, and activity, spanning multiple phases of addiction and mammalian species. This work will
be conducted in an expert-driven environment within the SRC using shared facilities provided by the UNC
Biomedical Research Imaging Center (BRIC). Access to cutting-edge imaging technologies and high end
instrumentation in the BRIC significantly enhances the capabilities of Research Components by providing
rigorous methods, sophisticated facilities, user support, and quality control of imaging. Second, the SRC
provides facilities, resources, and expertise to allow measurement of alcohol-induced changes in gene and
protein expression, and neural circuit function. These centralized facilities allow rigorous, standardized, and
quality-controlled data collection across a variety of models, and extends the capability of Research
Components to include novel methods. To assure effective functioning of the Core and to facilitate the
integrative efforts of the ARC, the SRC holds a monthly meeting (chaired by Dr. Hodge) of ARC investigators
that evaluates progress and provides a venue for data and idea sharing. Access to these resources, and
integrative environment, is a highly significant feature of the ARC that contributes to the accomplishment of our
shared goals. Together, these services and resources provide the Research Components with the unique
capability of delineating alcohol-induced molecular changes in specific brain regions that are associated with
altered neural circuit connectivity. This synergistic effort will provide novel insight into mechanisms of
maladaptive changes in neural circuitry that underlie alcohol addiction. Moreover, this innovative and
integrative strategy represents a clear advantage to conducting the proposed research as Center rather than
separate research efforts.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10078812
- **Project number:** 5P60AA011605-24
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** Clyde W Hodge
- **Activity code:** P60 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $206,139
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10078812

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10078812, Integration of molecular and neurocircuit pathologies across stages of addiction (5P60AA011605-24). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10078812. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*