# Role of Neural Activity and Perineuronal Nets in Adolescent Intermittent Ethanol-Induced Social Anxiety

> **NIH NIH F31** · STATE UNIVERSITY OF NY,BINGHAMTON · 2022 · $28,923

## Abstract

Project Summary
Our research group has revealed long-lasting behavioral impairments associated with adolescent intermittent
ethanol (AIE) exposure, with male rats exposed to ethanol during adolescence demonstrating social deficits
indexed via decreases in social preference and social investigation. Our preliminary data point to the prelimbic
(PrL) cortex as a region associated with this social inhibition. AIE has been reported to increase glutamatergic
signaling in the PrL, potentially due to alterations in GABAergic transmission. PrL activity is heavily regulated
by inhibitory parvalbumin (PV) interneurons that are often encompassed by extracellular matrix components,
perineuronal nets (PNNs). This proposal is designed to test the hypothesis that AIE-induced dysfunction of the
PrL is a result of PNN-dependent decreases of PV interneuron inhibitory control, a neural alteration that might
directly contribute to social deficits evident in adult rats following AIE. This hypothesis will be tested in Aim 1 by
determining whether inactivation of specific neural ensembles associated with responding to a social stimulus
within the PrL can reverse AIE-induced social deficits. In Aim 2, we will assess the impact of AIE on PNN
expression within the PrL and investigate whether AIE-dependent PNN alterations are associated with
changes in glutamatergic and GABAergic inputs onto PV interneurons. For evaluation of the relationship
between PNN upregulation and social alterations after AIE, we will test whether an enzymatic degradation of
PNNs following AIE is able to reverse social deficits in AIE-exposed animals. Collectively, these studies will
characterize specific neural mechanisms in the PrL that are disrupted following AIE and further our
understanding of how these alterations contribute to social deficits. Through this training mechanism I will gain
invaluable skills to build my technical tool kit, expand my theoretical framework, and further develop my
conceptual research skillset, all of which will aid in my progression into postdoctoral training and eventually
becoming an independent investigator.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10434676
- **Project number:** 5F31AA029300-02
- **Recipient organization:** STATE UNIVERSITY OF NY,BINGHAMTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Trevor Towner
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $28,923
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-07-01 → 2023-05-15

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10434676

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10434676, Role of Neural Activity and Perineuronal Nets in Adolescent Intermittent Ethanol-Induced Social Anxiety (5F31AA029300-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10434676. Licensed CC0.

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