# Amygdala neural circuits in alcohol intake

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $64,449

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
This diversity supplement application will support neuroscience graduate student, Matilde Castro, in a 2yr
training program relevant to, but not redundant with, parent grant R01-AA027213, which supports investigation
into amygdala and insula cortex circuitry in a rat seeking-taking model of alcohol self-administration. Ms.
Castro is ready for an intensive period of research to gain expertise in neurobiological studies of alcohol in
animal models and to receive high-quality mentoring in scientific and professional aspects of research. The
purpose of this intensive training is to prepare Ms. Castro for next steps in her training; specifically, data she
obtains during the period of the supplement will 1) form the basis of 2-4 1st-author publications; and 2) will
provide preliminary data for an F31 application, thus propelling her towards reaching independence in her
research career. This investment will give her a valuable boost towards meeting her research career goals and
will enable continued advancement of NIH goals for diversity in biomedical research. There is a gap in our
understanding of how serotonin impacts the alcohol-related functions of the CeA, Ms. Castro will determine the
role of the 5HT2A receptor in the CeA on alcohol seeking/taking, using electrophysiology, pharmacology, and
optogenetics. In Aim 1 she will determine the impact of the 5HT2a receptor on CeA neural activity; in Aim 2
she will test whether microinfusion of 5HT2a agonists or antagonists alter alcohol seeking and/or taking; in Aim
3, she will use optogenetics to reverse decreases in alcohol seeking after 5HT2a manipulation to draw causal
links. These studies are consistent with the goals of the parent grant, specifically Aim1 which defines neural
activity patterns in the CeA, insula, and PVT during ethanol self-administration. As in Aim1, Ms. Castro will
utilize in vivo electrophysiology to investigate CeA neural activity, but she focuses on a new angle, that of the
effect of serotonin and the 5HT2a receptor. In addition, in Aim3 of the parent grant we use optogenetics to
examine manipulation of CeA neural pathways on alcohol self-administration. As with Aim3, Ms. Castro will
also use optogenetics to study but here she will test a novel hypothesis that activation of the CeA during a cue
will reverse the acute effect of 5HT2a receptor activation. In addition to the focus on the CeA, the proposed
supplement studies are consistent with, but not duplicative of, the parent grant because thet use a shared
behavioral model, the DT3 seeking-taking procedure that allows isolation of neural process during seeking
from those during taking. In Ms. Castro’s case, this will help her understand neurobehavioral mechanisms of
5HT2a receptor modulation. Thus the studies extend the overall goal of the parent grant to better understand
CeA mechanisms in alcohol’s effects. Ms. Castro’s studies will complement the overall goal of the parent
grant to understand the role of the...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10518250
- **Project number:** 3R01AA027213-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Patricia H. Janak
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $64,449
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-03-01 → 2024-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10518250

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10518250, Amygdala neural circuits in alcohol intake (3R01AA027213-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10518250. Licensed CC0.

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