# Project 1: Impulsivity

> **NIH NIH P50** · JACKSON LABORATORY · 2020 · $158,138

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY PROJECT 1 – IMPULSIVITY
High levels of behavioral impulsivity have been repeatedly linked with both subclinical and clinically-significant
patterns of drug misuse, abuse and dependence. As it is often studied in the laboratory, one manifestation of
impulsivity is difficulty with suppressing reward-seeking behaviors (impulsive action). Despite the ample
evidence that high tendency to engage in impulsive actions segregates with addictions, there is little known
about the biological, including genetic, mechanisms that explain this relationship. This project is inspired by
data from both animal models and human subjects indicating that trait differences in impulsivity that predate
the initiation of drug use (and that likely reflect inherited genetic mechanisms) are susceptibility factors for
subsequent drug abuse. The proposed studies involve both recombinant inbred mice (the Collaborative Cross)
and a large population of outbred subjects (Diversity Outbred mice), both of which bring exceptional genetic
and phenotypic diversity to the analyses. Using integrated systems genetics resources, we will—for the first
time—pursue a systematic investigation of the genetic correlations among multiple measures of impulsivity and
other addiction-related traits under study in the CSNA's four other scientific projects, including response to
novelty and novelty-preference, initial locomotor response to cocaine and locomotor sensitization to repetitive
dosing, nicotine reward and conditioning, circadian phenotypes and—a gold standard addiction-relevant
behavior—intravenous cocaine self-administration. Expression of genes and gene co-expression networks that
are genetically correlated with impulsivity and with cocaine-induced alterations in impulsivity will also be
identified. Genome-wide association analyses will identify quantitative trait loci for both impulsivity and for
expression traits correlated with impulsivity. Associated alleles will be functionally validated, and new model
organisms enabling mechanistic studies of allelic effects on physiology and behavior will be created. These
analyses represent the deepest phenotypic and genomic analysis of impulsivity yet conducted and will expose
new biological influences on inter-individual differences in addiction liability.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9933849
- **Project number:** 5P50DA039841-05
- **Recipient organization:** JACKSON LABORATORY
- **Principal Investigator:** J. DAVID JENTSCH
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $158,138
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9933849

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9933849, Project 1: Impulsivity (5P50DA039841-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9933849. Licensed CC0.

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