# Determining the Contributions of Four AARDoC Functional Domains to the Etiology of Heavy Drinking and AUD Symptoms: A Prospective, Multimodal Approach

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 2024 · $716,915

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is highly heterogeneous in that its symptoms are highly varied and, often, non-
overlapping across individuals. In theory, this phenotypic heterogeneity reflects the influence of multiple
underlying causes, or etiologic mechanisms. This etiologic complexity makes AUD treatment very challenging;
researchers have identified AUD’s etiologic complexity as the most critical barrier to progress in developing more
effective, personalized treatments. Addiction theorists have identified a set of alcohol addiction research domain
criteria (AARDoC) functional domains, believed to be important etiologic mechanisms for AUD. Yet, existing
models meant to link these mechanisms to AUD-related behaviors and symptoms fail to consider etiology.
Hence, many basic questions concerning the etiology of problematic drinking and AUD-related symptoms remain
unresolved. The proposed work aims to identify the prospective contributions of functional domain neuro-
behavioral indicators to the etiology of heavy drinking (HD) and AUD-related symptoms during adolescence and
emerging adulthood, the decade of development when HD and AUD-related symptoms are most prevalent. We
will enroll a target sample of 480 adolescents and emerging adults (160 in each of three partially overlapping
age cohorts [50% female], pre-screened for elevated HD risk) to participate in a prospective study using an
accelerated longitudinal design, which will allow us to characterize trajectories of alcohol involvement and AUD-
related symptoms over a 10-year period of development within a five-year study. We will use a neuroclinical
assessment approach to comprehensively characterize four functional domains—cognitive control/disinhibition
(DIS), reward sensitivity (RS), anxiety (ANX), and incentive salience (IS)—using validated and reliable self-
report, behavioral, and neurophysiological measures during each of three waves of data collection (15 months
apart). Alcohol involvement, AUD-related symptoms, and social-environment factors will be assessed at 5-month
intervals. Using this multi-wave, multimodal approach, we will address three specific aims: (1) characterize the
influence of the functional domains on the etiology of alcohol involvement; (2) accounting for the influence of
alcohol involvement, characterize the influence of the functional domains on the etiology of AUD-related
symptoms; and (3) characterize the influence of HD on functional domain neurobehavioral indicators. Analyses
will characterize how various combinations of domain indicators affect latent states of alcohol involvement
(volume of consumption; patterns of use) and AUD-related symptoms (numbers of symptoms; clusters of
symptoms) and transitions across latent states over time. This work will produce a unique and rich dataset, and
its findings will directly inform the development of personalized intervention and treatment strategies that can be
deployed to target the functionin...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10917364
- **Project number:** 5R01AA030728-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **Principal Investigator:** BRUCE D BARTHOLOW
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $716,915
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2028-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10917364

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10917364, Determining the Contributions of Four AARDoC Functional Domains to the Etiology of Heavy Drinking and AUD Symptoms: A Prospective, Multimodal Approach (5R01AA030728-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10917364. Licensed CC0.

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