# Project 4

> **NIH NIH P50** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $460,361

## Abstract

SUMMARY
MDMA (‘ecstasy’) and ketamine are drugs of abuse that have steadily gained in popularity. Compared to more
traditional stimulants or narcotics, however, less is known about their mode of action, their subjective effects,
and how these effects promote continued use. Our objective is to develop a theoretically-informed
characterization of the effects of MDMA, methamphetamine and ketamine on the neurobehavior of specific
circuits for processing risk and reward, the connectivity of these circuits, and how these circuits and their
connectivity predict acute drug experience and drug use outcomes. We will first pursue optogenetic techniques
for neural control to map the effects of MDMA, methamphetamine and ketamine on neurobehavior related to
risk and reward in rodents. Second, we will use neuroimaging to map both the acute and cumulative influence
of these drugs on neurobehavioral targets in humans, focusing on risk and reward circuits and accompanying
behaviors. We will also assess the extent to which these influences of drug exposure on neurobehavioral targets
predict future use patterns over a follow up period of 6 months. Third, we will extend our approach to
characterizing the acute and cumulative effects of MDMA, methamphetamine and ketamine on whole brain
connectivity and associated behaviors such as degree of control. Under this third objective we will assess the
prediction of future use patterns over the same follow up period. The results will advance our scientific
understanding about why people are motivated to use these drugs, and provide a foundation for future
investigations of tailored intervention strategies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10149276
- **Project number:** 5P50DA042012-05
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Leanne Williams
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $460,361
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-15 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10149276

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10149276, Project 4 (5P50DA042012-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10149276. Licensed CC0.

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