# BDNF and Alcohol Addiction

> **NIH NIH R37** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2021 · $403,750

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects approximately 10% of the western world population. Thus, the majority
of people consume alcohol socially throughout adulthood without developing the disorder. This suggests
the existence of endogenous homeostatic pathways that delay or prevent the development of AUD. We
generated evidence to suggest that BDNF in the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) is part of such a homeostatic
protective mechanism that keeps alcohol drinking in moderation. We further found that malfunctioning of
BDNF signaling in the DLS, and in cortical regions, drives escalation of alcohol use. To date, we have been
studying the function BDNF signaling in isolated corticostriatal brain regions. The next 5 years will be
dedicated to examining the contribution of this pathway in the context of corticostriatal circuitries.
Aim 1, will identify genes downstream of BDNF/TrkB signaling in DLS neurons that receive BDNF from the
OFC, and will test their contribution to the gating of alcohol use. Aim 2 will test the hypothesis that
microRNAs targeting BDNF in OFC neurons that project to the DLS contribute to the malfunctioning of
BDNF signaling in the DLS resulting in escalation of alcohol use. Aim 3 will identify the target regions of
BDNF mPFC neurons and examine the involvement of BDNF in these projections to the gating of alcohol
seeking and compulsive alcohol drinking. To achieve these goals, we plan to combine state of the art
molecular/genetic tools with mouse alcohol drinking paradigms. If successful, data generated from the
studies will not only yield valuable information about the function and malfunction of BDNF signaling in
corticostriatal circuitries but will also enable us to develop novel approaches to examine the contribution of
other molecular signaling pathways in a specific circuitry to alcohol drinking behaviors.
RELEVANCE (See instructions): NA for this submission.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10200609
- **Project number:** 5R37AA016848-14
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** DORIT RON
- **Activity code:** R37 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $403,750
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2007-04-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10200609

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10200609, BDNF and Alcohol Addiction (5R37AA016848-14). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10200609. Licensed CC0.

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