# The role of serotonin signaling in the nucleus accumbens in excessive alcohol drinking

> **NIH NIH R00** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 2021 · $154,500

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Neurological complications of SARS-CoV2 or Covid-19 have been reported in the literature but little is known
about the extent to which neural systems are affected by this disease or the long-term impact on brain function.
Alcohol consumption during the Covid-19 pandemic is on the rise due to factors such as unemployment, financial
strain, and loss of social support and may be a significant risk factor for neurological complications of SARS-
CoV2. Other coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV are thought to gain entry to the brain via the olfactory bulb and
quickly spread to interconnected regions such as the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), which is a major source of
serotonin (5-HT) neurons in the brain that orchestrates neurological functions ranging from autonomic control to
emotional and motivated behavior. Alcohol is also known to compromise the function of 5-HT neurons in the
brain and may render them more vulnerable to infection by SARS-CoV2, exacerbating the neuropsychiatric
sequelae of this disease. The goal of the present application is to determine whether alcohol can increase
expression of known entry factors for SARS-CoV2 in DRN 5-HT neurons and facilitate infection of these neurons.
In Aim 1, we will determine whether chronic intermittent alcohol exposure upregulates expression of entry factors
ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in 5-HT DRN neurons that project to the olfactory bulb using retrograde tracers. In Aim 2,
we will determine whether SARS-CoV2 can infect 5-HT DRN neurons via the olfactory bulb and whether chronic
intermittent alcohol exacerbates infection and death of these neurons. Together, these studies will reveal
whether alcohol is a significant risk factor for SARS-CoV2 invasion of the CNS and whether the DRN 5-HT
systems is a target for this infection.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10415446
- **Project number:** 3R00AA024215-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **Principal Investigator:** Catherine Anne Marcinkiewcz
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $154,500
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2017-06-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10415446

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10415446, The role of serotonin signaling in the nucleus accumbens in excessive alcohol drinking (3R00AA024215-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10415446. Licensed CC0.

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