# Network wide analysis of brain activity involved in alcohol withdrawal

> **NIH NIH R00** · PURDUE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $249,000

## Abstract

Project Summary / Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the United States. AUD is a
chronic relapsing disorder that is associated with loss of control and compulsive drinking. The emergence of
negative emotional states during acute withdrawal and their maintenance during protracted abstinence are
critical driving forces that lead to excessive and compulsive-like alcohol drinking. Identifying the neurocircuitry
that is involved in negative emotional states and excessive alcohol drinking is a critical step to understanding
the neuronal causes of compulsive alcohol drinking. We have already identified several key brain regions that
are recruited during acute alcohol withdrawal, but still unknown is whether these circuits are different during
protracted abstinence. Additionally, previous research has often been biased by the preselection of regions of
interest; therefore, unbiased whole-brain functional circuitry imaging is a critical step to examine the entire
brain and identify entire networks that are involved in alcohol withdrawal.
 I will utilize the whole-brain imaging of immediate early genes to identify brain regions that are recruited
during acute alcohol withdrawal and protracted abstinence. Once these brain regions are identified, they will be
compared with regard to functional relationships using correlational analyses and graph theory. These
analyses will identify critical components (brain regions) of the functional network of acute alcohol withdrawal
and protracted abstinence. These critical components or hubs, once identified, will be targeted and selectively
inactivated using the Daun02/LacZ approach to test causal relationships between these hubs and negative
emotional states and compulsive alcohol drinking in dependent mice.
 These studies will be started at The Scripps Research Institute during my K99 phase and completed at
my future institution during my independent R00 phase. During my K99 phase, I will receive training in graph
theory analyses and Daun02 inactivation to identify and disrupt critical nodes within the functional network of
alcohol abstinence. During the R00 phase, I will use Daun02 inactivation to continue these projects and further
explore the ways in which the disruption of critical nodes within the functional alcohol abstinence network
changes alcohol-related behavior. Collectively, this work will provide insights into the functional circuitry that
contributes to alcohol addiction, reveal novel targets and testable hypotheses for future brain imaging studies
in human, and facilitate the development of novel treatments for AUD, including targets for noninvasive brain
stimulation.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10241630
- **Project number:** 4R00AA027301-03
- **Recipient organization:** PURDUE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Adam J Kimbrough
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $249,000
- **Award type:** 4N
- **Project period:** 2018-09-20 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10241630

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10241630, Network wide analysis of brain activity involved in alcohol withdrawal (4R00AA027301-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10241630. Licensed CC0.

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