# Repeated Binge Drinking and the Genetic Regulation of Corticostriatal Synchrony

> **NIH NIH R00** · UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR · 2022 · $247,994

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The long-term goal of the parent grant, ‘Repeated Binge Drinking and the Genetic Regulation of Corticostriatal
Synchrony’, is to identify gene networks (and key genes regulating these networks) recruited by repeated
binge alcohol consumption within brain areas thought to be involved in loss of control over alcohol
consumption - the medial Prefrontal Cortex (mPFC) and the ventral Striatum (vSTR; i.e. nucleus accumbens).
Additionally, this grant focuses on identifying the functional consequences of repeated excessive alcohol
consumption – that is, how brain function changes as a results of excessive drinking, and how gene networks
are involved in these changes in brain function. This work will result in a better understanding of why and how
alcohol use leads to addiction, and will help us develop strategies to prevent and treat excessive drinking; both
of which are directly relevant to the mission of the NIAAA in understanding the neurobiology of alcohol use
disorders (AUDs). However, recent evidence has emerged that excessive alcohol consumption is a critical risk
factor for the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and its related dementias (AD/ADRDs). Given the
paucity of preclinical work in this area using validated animal models of AD/ADRDs, and our expertise in
evaluating the consequences of excessive alcohol drinking, we are perfectly positioned to make significant
contributions to the emerging field of study on excessive alcohol use and the development of AD/ADRDs. The
studies proposed in this Supplement application were designed to test the hypothesis that binge alcohol
consumption throughout early adulthood will lead to increases in the rate and extent of pathological tau (pTau)
accumulation and cognitive decline, as well as the recruitment of gene co-expression networks in brain that
mediate this interaction. We propose to explore this hypothesis through two Specific Aims (SAs), both of which
use a validated mouse model of tauopathy relevant to AD/ADRDs - P301S mice. SA1: Determine the
relationship between neuropathological measures of tau, cognitive decline, and alcohol drinking
amount/patterns in the P301S mouse model of tauopathy. SA2: Identify gene co-expression networks and key
‘hub’ genes regulating tau pathology and cognitive decline that are unique to alcohol exposed P301S mice.
The results of the proposed studies will help in identifying the extent to which different amounts and patterns of
binge drinking throughout young adulthood impacts the progression of tau pathology and associated cognitive
decline. This work will also identify key neurobiological gene networks involved in alcohol-mediated alterations
in tau pathology and associated cognitive decline. Together, the results obtained from this work will provide
critical preliminary data and scientific rationale for the development of a new research discipline evaluating the
effects of alcohol use disorders on the development and exacerbation of AD/...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10508058
- **Project number:** 3R00AA025120-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** David Nathaniel Linsenbardt
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $247,994
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2017-09-01 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10508058

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10508058, Repeated Binge Drinking and the Genetic Regulation of Corticostriatal Synchrony (3R00AA025120-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10508058. Licensed CC0.

---

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