# Establishing the Influences of Childhood Trauma and Adolescent Alcohol Binge Exposures on Reward Functioning Among Young Adult Drinkers

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · 2021 · $41,039

## Abstract

Project Title: Establishing the Influences of Childhood Trauma and Adolescent Alcohol Binge Exposures on
Reward Functioning Among Young Adult Drinkers
Project Summary/Abstract: Deficits in reward functioning, including both overvaluation of alcohol rewards and
devaluation of non-alcohol rewards, are central to empirically supported models of alcohol use disorder (AUD)
etiology and maintenance. Emerging adulthood represents a sensitive risk period for the development of AUD
symptoms, particularly among individuals with early life exposures to stress (e.g., childhood trauma) and alcohol.
Animal studies support a causal link between early trauma and alcohol exposures and deficits in reward
functioning; however, translational human laboratory models are limited. The specific aims of the study are to
1a) investigate differences in subjective and physiological (i.e., corrugator and zygomaticus fEMG) responses to
social (i.e., non-alcohol) reward as a function of childhood trauma (CT) and/or adolescent alcohol binge
exposures, 1b) evaluate differences in subjective and physiological responses to alcohol reward as a function of
CT and/or adolescent alcohol binge exposures, 2) understand alcohol reward response in the context of social
reward response, and 3) identify clinical correlates of alcohol and social reward response, with regard to current
measures of alcohol (e.g., binge frequency, alcohol drinking motives, alcohol-related consequences) and
psychiatric risk (e.g., anhedonia, depressive symptoms). To address these aims, the current study will recruit a
sample (N = 100) of young adult drinkers to examine the unique and combined influence of CT and adolescent
binge histories on self-report, behavioral, and physiological indices of social (i.e., non-alcohol) and alcohol
reward functioning among a population at high-risk for AUD. These study aims will facilitate the primary training
goals to 1) develop an understanding of the assessment and interpretation of alcohol-related phenotypes in
adolescents and young adults, 2) acquire training in and knowledge of human laboratory models of reward
functioning in AUD, 3) obtain clinical training in the assessment and treatment of AUD and comorbid conditions,
and 4) gain training in advanced statistical methods. Mentorship provided by experts in human laboratory models
of trauma and alcohol use, adolescent substance use risk, and psychophysiology of reward response will
advance the candidate’s goals to expand her experience in measurement of alcohol-related phenotypes, human
laboratory models of reward processing, and translational models of AUD. Ultimately, the proposed training and
research plans will support the candidate’s long-term goal of pursuing a career as a NIAAA-funded independent
investigator focused on understanding the interplay between stress and alcohol phenotypes in high-risk young
adult populations. The proposed study will be one of the first to evaluate the joint impact of CT and adolescent
...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10231905
- **Project number:** 1F31AA028984-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Hanaan Bing-Canar
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $41,039
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10231905

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10231905, Establishing the Influences of Childhood Trauma and Adolescent Alcohol Binge Exposures on Reward Functioning Among Young Adult Drinkers (1F31AA028984-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10231905. Licensed CC0.

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