# Adolescent alcohol drinking and GABA signaling

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2023 · $400,410

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Adolescence marks a period of increased risk taking and exploration. As part of this exploratory behavior,
many individuals initiate alcohol use during adolescence, which can lead to increased risk for alcohol use
disorders later in life. One major site of adolescent maturation in prefrontal cortex are GABAergic inhibitory
neurons, including parvalbumin positive chandelier cells. Chandelier cells synapse directly onto the axon
potential initiating sites of neighboring glutamatergic pyramidal cells. They are therefore uniquely poised to
regulate pyramidal cell spiking. Here, our goal is to understand how the function of these two inhibitory cell
classes are affected by adolescent alcohol consumption, and to determine if manipulations to chloride
transporter function alters drinking behavior. We will use a combination of electrophysiology and 2-photon
imaging to understand how interneuron function is regulated at the cellular level, and viral manipulation of
chloride transporter function paired with behavior to understand how prefrontal inhibitory function regulates
drinking. Results of this study will provide insight into how inhibitory circuits contribute to drinking behavior
and may elucidate potential therapeutic targets to treat alcohol abuse disorders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10598055
- **Project number:** 5R01AA027023-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Kevin J Bender
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $400,410
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-12 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10598055

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10598055, Adolescent alcohol drinking and GABA signaling (5R01AA027023-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10598055. Licensed CC0.

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