# Assessment of Pioglitazone to Address Stress Reactivity and Alcohol Use Disorder

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON · 2022 · $185,250

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
 Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is significant public health concern. Stress is a central component in modern
theories of alcohol use, and stress is intimately related to drinking for many individuals. There are a number of
approved medications for AUD, but the majority of individuals do not respond to these medications and no
medications address the role of stress. The current proposal looks affect alcohol use by targeting stress-related
systems in the body through peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), which may effect stress
reactivity, stress-induced alcohol craving, and alcohol use. Pioglitazone (Actos) targets PPARγ and is FDA-
approved for treating individuals with diabetes and metabolic disorders. Promising results from both human
trials and animal research suggest that pioglitazone holds great promising for addressing AUD, including
preliminary data from our own research. The current proposal will attempt to expand on our preliminary
findings targeting alcohol use among treatment-seeking individuals with AUD and elevated stress and/or
anxiety with the following specific aims: 1) to assess if pioglitazone decreases stress reactivity and stress-
induced craving in a human laboratory model; and 2) to assess if pioglitazone changes weekly psychometric
reports of stress/anxiety, craving, and alcohol consumption. Notable strengths of the current proposal include:
1) targeting individuals with elevated stress/anxiety and AUD; 2) biological assessment of stress reactivity
(heart rate, blood pressure, salivary cortisol); 3) a multi-dimensional assessment of alcohol craving
incorporating relatively novel behavioral economic measures (i.e., alcohol demand, delay discounting); and 4)
inclusion of powerful Bayesian statistical tools that are well suited for smaller samples, such as the current
proposal.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10491667
- **Project number:** 5R21AA027273-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Jin Ho Yoon
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $185,250
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-20 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10491667

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10491667, Assessment of Pioglitazone to Address Stress Reactivity and Alcohol Use Disorder (5R21AA027273-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10491667. Licensed CC0.

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