# Metabolic control of cue reactivity during alcohol withdrawal

> **NIH NIH F32** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2024 · $78,784

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in the United States. Chronic
alcohol consumption in individuals with AUD is associated with lowered glucose metabolism and increased
acetate metabolism in the brain. Following abrupt cessation of alcohol consumption, sudden decreases in
acetate may cause the brain to become “energy-deprived”, which could induce heightened craving and
symptoms of withdrawal. The main goal of this proposal is to test the hypothesis that energy deprivation during
withdrawal contributes to alcohol craving by influencing reward-encoding neural circuitry. Analyses for Specific
Aim 1 will focus on defining the impact of altered brain metabolism in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex
(dACC) on its connectivity with the ventral striatum (VS) and on specifying the role of connectivity between the
dACC and VS in facilitating whole-brain transitions to alcohol cue-induced neural activity states. Analyses for
Specific Aim 2 will seek to define the relationship between metabolic function in the dACC, its role in driving
whole-brain dynamics, and alcohol craving. Completion of this proposal will provide a framework for predicting
the impact of metabolic interventions on brain state and craving, which will aid the development of therapeutic
approaches for AUD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10748284
- **Project number:** 5F32AA030475-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Julia Katherine Brynildsen
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $78,784
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-12-01 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10748284

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10748284, Metabolic control of cue reactivity during alcohol withdrawal (5F32AA030475-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10748284. Licensed CC0.

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