# Neural Mechanisms of Individual Differences in Cocaine Avoidance

> **NIH NIH R37** · MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA · 2022 · $457,444

## Abstract

Abstract:
Drugs of abuse, such as cocaine, produce rewarding effects that have been extensively investigated. However,
these drugs also produce aversive effects that are far less understood, even though they strongly influence
drug‐seeking, and exhibit large individual variability that contributes to differences in individual addiction
propensity. We found that aversive responses to cocaine depend critically on serotonin and glutamate
signaling in the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), a major afferent to midbrain dopamine neurons. This
proposal examines cellular mechanisms by which these receptors drive neural activation and aversive
conditioning, and why these responses occur much more strongly in some individuals than others, with an
overall aim of identifying novel potential therapeutic targets for regulating drug‐seeking and treating
addiction.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10453809
- **Project number:** 5R37DA054370-02
- **Recipient organization:** MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
- **Principal Investigator:** THOMAS C JHOU
- **Activity code:** R37 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $457,444
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-08-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10453809

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10453809, Neural Mechanisms of Individual Differences in Cocaine Avoidance (5R37DA054370-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10453809. Licensed CC0.

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