# Subjective Response to Alcohol and Associated Neural Systems in Bipolar Disorder

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · 2022 · $179,358

## Abstract

This Mentored Research Scientist Development Award describes a research and training program that will
prepare the applicant, Elizabeth Lippard, PhD, to transition to an independent investigator with a research
program focused on biomarkers (clinical, behavioral, and neural) in bipolar disorder and interactions between
acute alcohol intoxication and altered brain development. Essential to successfully improving clinical prognosis
in bipolar disorder are research results that enable better prediction, diagnosis, and treatment based on the
individual. The applicant’s proposal addresses the need for scientists working to understand mechanisms that
contribute to individual differences in disease course. The applicant will investigate biomarkers predictive of risk
for alcohol use problems in people with bipolar disorder. We hypothesize that developmental abnormalities in
bipolar disorder that disrupt ventral prefrontal network function, and that likely underlie the development of the
illness, also increase the risk for alcohol use/disorders by altering sensitivity to alcohol. A comprehensive
research and training plan has been created with mentors, Stephen Strakowski, MD, Kim Fromme, PhD, and
Cameron Craddock, PhD, at the University of Texas at Austin, to test this hypothesis. Primary training objectives
are to: 1) obtain clinical training in the diagnosis and clinical assessment of bipolar disorder and alcohol use
disorders; 2) extend the applicant’s methodological repertoire to include advanced functional magnetic
resonance imaging (fMRI); and 3) train in placebo-controlled alcohol administration methods. These objectives
are a natural extension of the applicant’s background employing structural neuroimaging and behavioral testing
in bipolar disorder to investigate neuroanatomical and behavioral predictors of mood- and alcohol-related
problems and her preclinical work on alcohol self-administration in rodent models. Research aims are to (Aim 1)
identify individual differences in the experience of stimulating, sedating, and anxiolytic effects of alcohol and (Aim
2) assess alcohol-induced changes in neural responses to emotional stimuli in bipolar and healthy young adults.
In the proposed research, 60 young adults (50% with bipolar disorder, 50% female) will be clinically phenotyped
and complete structural MRI scans. Then, following standard beverage administration procedures, participants
will complete measures of subjective response to alcohol and fMRI scans while under the influence of alcohol or
a placebo (within-person, counter-balanced). We predict individuals with bipolar disorder will report lower
subjective response to alcohol, compared with healthy participants, with lower response associated with altered
function in ventral prefrontal networks. Relationships with alcohol use patterns will be investigated. This K01
award is critical to pursue the advanced training to test our hypothesis and for the applicant to transition to an
independent i...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10379872
- **Project number:** 5K01AA027573-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
- **Principal Investigator:** Elizabeth Thomas Cox Lippard
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $179,358
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-10 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10379872

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10379872, Subjective Response to Alcohol and Associated Neural Systems in Bipolar Disorder (5K01AA027573-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10379872. Licensed CC0.

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