# The role of Globus Pallidus externa (GPe) neuronal subtypes in the governance of alcohol response inhibition behaviors

> **NIH NIH FI2** · U.S. NATIONAL INST ALCOHOL AB/ALCOHOLISM · 2024 · —

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Response inhibition, or the ability to stop an action, is essential for successfully navigating everyday life, and
loss of this control is a hallmark in many neurological disorders, such as alcohol use disorder. A major
unanswered question for those experiencing alcohol use disorder is why they are unable to stop drinking: 1)
after periods of abstinence that lead to relapse, 2) in situations that can lead to risk or themselves are
inherently risky, and 3) to excessive amounts or binging once they have initiated drinking, all of which coalesce
around action control as a key differentiator between healthy and disordered outcomes. It is known that brain
regions responsible for action control, like the globus pallidus (GPe) are altered due to alcohol use. However,
which underlying mechanisms, cell-types, neural circuits and subsequently their spatial organization are
altered by alcohol and play key roles in controlling behaviors implicated in disordered alcohol use remain to be
fully elucidated. This proposal leverages new genetic marker technologies, sophisticated electrophysiological
and biosensing approaches, and advanced animal behavioral assays paired with in-vivo imaging. The
proposed experiments will define, characterize, and modulate principal GPe neurons and those that form
connections with them, to further resolve the neural basis of action selection in relation to stopping alcohol use.
This study will generate new knowledge that helps further detail the complexity of the GPe and its role in
balancing the promotion and inhibition of actions in relation to alcohol use. In the long term, this research will
advance research on the neural correlates that drive key features of alcohol use disorder, identifying novel
therapeutic targets and knowledge in the process. This research is particularly timely given the lack of
information relevant to the recent surge in “high-intensity” binge drinking, and hyperkatifeia-motivated relapse,
two phenomena that lead to excessive, avoidable harm that are highly dependent on response inhibition.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10938694
- **Project number:** 1FI2GM154674-01
- **Recipient organization:** U.S. NATIONAL INST ALCOHOL AB/ALCOHOLISM
- **Principal Investigator:** David Leo Haggerty
- **Activity code:** FI2 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-01 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10938694

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10938694, The role of Globus Pallidus externa (GPe) neuronal subtypes in the governance of alcohol response inhibition behaviors (1FI2GM154674-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10938694. Licensed CC0.

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