# Gene Expression in the Human Alcoholic Brain

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · 2024 · $436,538

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 We and others have provided evidence that changes in brain function are caused by neuroadaptations
throughout the addiction cycle. Large-scale DNA and RNA sequencing, bioinformatics, and computational
approaches have greatly advanced addiction neurobiology. Our newly proposed research will use single cell
RNA sequencing to define the transcriptome in human alcoholic and CIE-exposed mouse brain in
unprecedented detail. In addition to the similar alcohol-responsive expression changes found in alcoholics and
CIE-treated mice, CIE vapor produces escalations in voluntary drinking and is a well-established animal model
of alcohol dependence. CIE as well as chronic voluntary consumption models also induce neurobiological and
behavioral adaptations in mice that mimic those found in human alcoholics. Unlike whole tissue sequencing,
the single cell approach is much more sensitive and prevents dilution of cell-specific expression changes. This
proposal will provide the first single cell resolution of convergent genes in human and mouse brain that are
associated with alcohol dependence and escalation in drinking. High-priority genes will be functionally
validated in mice, and new computational approaches based on integrated single cell-transcriptomic data will
then be used to predict and test drugs for efficacy to reduce drinking in mice. Our overarching hypothesis is
that conserved cell-type-induced transcriptome changes will reveal specific neurobiological mechanisms and
improved drug targets for excessive alcohol drinking. Integrated data from mouse and human brain enhance
our ability to predict pathways and drugs with translational relevance in humans.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10819131
- **Project number:** 5R01AA012404-24
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
- **Principal Investigator:** R. DAYNE MAYFIELD
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $436,538
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2000-08-01 → 2026-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10819131

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10819131, Gene Expression in the Human Alcoholic Brain (5R01AA012404-24). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10819131. Licensed CC0.

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