# Amygdala neural circuits in alcohol intake

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $394,850

## Abstract

Project Summary
Alcohol use disorders take a heavy toll on personal, social, and economic facets of our society. Thus
we seek to better understand the underlying brain mechanisms for alcohol's effects. The central
nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) is a brain region that plays a vital role in alcohol intake, yet the means
by which neurons in this region contribute to alcohol intake are not clear. The studies in this
application propose to address this gap in a focused set of studies designed to expand our
understanding of CeA circuit mechanisms in alcohol-related behaviors. Studies proposed will use in
vivo electrophysiological recording to assess the neural correlates in the CeA during alcohol self-
administration in rat models of drinking. Further, using electrophysiology and opto- and chemo-
genetics, additional studies will test the hypothesis that a major excitatory input to the CeA, the insula,
and a major output region, the parabrachial nucleus, are key players in a larger CeA circuit for alcohol
self-administration. These candidate key regions will be compared with other regions, such as the
paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus and the BNST. The role of each of these circuits in intake of
natural reward will also be assessed to understand possible distinctions in mechanisms of alcohol
action. These studies represent important steps towards an understanding of the neurobiology of this
devastating health disorder.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10129243
- **Project number:** 5R01AA027213-03
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Patricia H. Janak
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $394,850
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-03-01 → 2024-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10129243

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10129243, Amygdala neural circuits in alcohol intake (5R01AA027213-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10129243. Licensed CC0.

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