# Examining the Neural Correlates of Alcohol Reward in Social Context: A Hyperscanning EEG Study

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN · 2024 · $48,974

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 The desire to enhance social cohesion is the most widely endorsed reason for consuming alcohol, with
social settings being linked to enhanced alcohol reinforcement and socially motivated drinking. With over 85%
of everyday drinking episodes taking place in social settings, social drinking contexts are frequently associated
with negative consequences including binge drinking and an increased risk for developing Alcohol Use Disorder
(AUD). However, the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the rewarding effects of alcohol in social contexts
are largely unknown. Of note, in contrast to real-world settings, paradigms employed in extant neuroimaging
research predominantly feature solitary drinking followed by isolated recording settings. This stark discrepancy
between laboratory and real-world drinking contexts may hinder scientists from directly examining the
foundational research question of what makes alcohol rewarding. The long-term objective of the proposed study
is to address this research gap, using novel alcohol administration methods combined with electrophysiological
measures through a hyperscanning EEG setup (i.e., simultaneous recording of EEG signals across multiple
participants) in the context of in-vivo social settings. Specifically, in line with NIAAA Strategic Plan (Goal 1.1),
the proposed project aims to evaluate the neural correlates of social and affective reward gained from alcohol in
social contexts as well as to assess whether this reward differs across individual-level (e.g., social anxiety, social
bonding) and group-level (social familiarity) factors. The proposed research represents a unique contribution to
my sponsor’s ongoing Ro1 study which, once completed, will represent among the larger multi-dose alcohol
administration studies conducted to date. In the parent project, participants (N=240) attend three laboratory
sessions involving alcohol administration in groups of two. The proposed project examines a subset of these
participants, exploring the effects of alcohol dose (0.00%, 0.03%, and 0.09% target BAC) and social familiarity
(“fast friends” vs. strangers) as factors manipulated both within and between participants, respectively.
Following beverage administration, dyads will participate in a music-listening task together while their EEG
signals are acquired simultaneously. Participants will additionally complete self-report measures of social reward
using multiple indicators, including reports of affective experience, positive mood, and social bonding. The
results of this study promise a range of theoretical and clinical implications, advancing theoretical models of
AUD vulnerability within a bio-psycho-social framework and informing prevention and intervention programs
by identifying real-world “high-risk” settings associated with enhanced alcohol reinforcement. In addition, and
of note, this award will provide critical training to an emerging predoctoral researcher in advanced programming
an...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10901502
- **Project number:** 1F31AA031614-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
- **Principal Investigator:** Jiaxu Han
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $48,974
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-05-01 → 2028-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10901502

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10901502, Examining the Neural Correlates of Alcohol Reward in Social Context: A Hyperscanning EEG Study (1F31AA031614-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10901502. Licensed CC0.

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