# Genetic and Neural Factors in Alcohol-Influenced Aggression

> **NIH NIH K01** · VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $160,202

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award proposal seeks to provide Dr. David Chester with
the training and research experiences necessary to advance his career goal of becoming an independent
alcohol investigator. He seeks this career goal in order to better understand and intervene upon the biological
bases (i.e., genetic risk factors, neural mechanisms) of alcohol-influenced aggression. The activities in this
proposal will build upon Dr. Chester's existing skillset in the psychological and neural bases of aggressive
behavior.
Training plan: Dr. Chester seeks training in advanced genetic techniques and alcohol misuse phenotypes,
which will be achieved through a structured training plan that consists of regular meetings with mentors, two
external laboratory rotations, coursework and a workshop in statistical genetics, directed readings, and two
laboratory rotations. Dr. Chester's training plan leverages the outstanding research and educational
environment at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) with a team of renowned experts as mentors. His
primary mentor is Dr. Danielle Dick (an expert in genetic risk factors for alcohol misuse and associated
externalizing behaviors). Dr. Chester will also be co-mentored by Dr. David Goldman (an expert on the
genetic and neural basis of alcohol misuse and associated externalizing behaviors), Dr. Fazil Aliev (an expert
in statistical genetics), Dr. Dominic Parrot (an expert in alcohol-influenced aggression), and Dr. F. Gerard
Moeller (an expert in the neural basis of alcohol misuse and associated externalizing behaviors).
Research plan: The scientific objective of this K01 proposal is to examine the genetic factors that predispose
certain individuals to act aggressively in the context of alcohol misuse. Further, we plan to investigate the
neural mechanisms that link these genetic risk factors to actual acts of alcohol-influenced aggression. Genetic
risk factors for alcohol-influenced aggression will be tested by analyzing existing data from [five NIH-funded
publicly-available genomic datasets] and a new sample collected from VCU's NIAAA-funded Spit4Science
project, which investigates longitudinal alcohol misuse trajectories among undergraduates. To investigate
neural mechanisms, a sub-sample of the Spit4Science participants will be recruited for a study that will
combine a placebo-controlled alcohol administration, laboratory aggression measures, and functional brain
imaging (fMRI). This proposed research is the first systematic investigation of the genetic underpinnings of
alcohol-influenced aggression, a serious threat to public health. Further, this can identify the neural pathways
of these genetic effects, which can inform psychological and pharmacological interventions that may prove
fruitful in reducing the violent consequences of alcohol misuse. This award would support these goals and
advance NIAAA's strategic plan to identify mechanisms underlying alcohol misuse ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9988977
- **Project number:** 5K01AA026647-03
- **Recipient organization:** VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** David Skylan Chester
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $160,202
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-20 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9988977

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9988977, Genetic and Neural Factors in Alcohol-Influenced Aggression (5K01AA026647-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9988977. Licensed CC0.

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