# Behavioral and Neural Correlates of Social Function in Alcohol Use Disorders

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2022 · $456,048

## Abstract

Project Summary
Despite the widespread nature of social deficits in patients with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and the
foundational importance of adequate social function for therapies (which often directly depend upon group and
other interpersonal interactions), the behavioral and neural basis of social impairments in AUDs remains
understudied. A significant challenge for understanding such impairments is to link high-level theories of social
behavior and cognition with the computations performed by brain circuits. Specifically, how does the brain
translate social perception into social valuation, and how does such valuation influence social actions? We
propose to leverage recent developments in economic theory and cognitive neuroscience to bridge this divide
using a computational, model-based approach.
In this proposal, we hypothesize that social impairments in subjects with alcohol use disorders are manifest in the
perception of potential social partners and the value consequently assigned to them, impacting the actions that
result. By evaluating well-established economic games, we will quantify how subjects with AUDs divide rewards
between themselves and anonymous partners in different social contexts. We will manipulate both incentives
related to how subjects divide monetary resources between themselves and various social partners, as well as the
characteristics of the partners themselves by employing validated quantitative measures of social perception. To
unravel the neural mechanisms supporting the above choices, we will use functional MRI to assess brain regions
whose activity we hypothesize will vary parametrically with monetary decisions.
We thus seek to broaden our understanding of the computations and circuits underlying social behavior.
Moreover, we believe that a model-based understanding of these behaviors and neural circuits may someday
guide more robust and quantitative assessments of social function in patients with alcohol use disorders, with
possible implications for both clinical evaluation and treatment.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10436819
- **Project number:** 5R01AA026587-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** ANDREW S KAYSER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $456,048
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-15 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10436819

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10436819, Behavioral and Neural Correlates of Social Function in Alcohol Use Disorders (5R01AA026587-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10436819. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*