DIVERSITY SUPPLEMENT- PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This Diversity Supplement proposal is designed to prepare the candidate to become an independent
investigator and translational scientist in the field of addiction. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a prevalent,
debilitating, and heterogeneous disorder that is difficult to treat. The Addiction Neuroclinical Assessment (ANA)
and the NIDA Phenotyping Battery are proposed frameworks to better understand heterogeneity in addiction
with each deriving neurofunctional domains relevant to addiction. While there is some overlap in the
neurofunctional domains derived using the batteries (both assessments capture negative emotionality,
incentive salience, and executive function), the NIDA Phenotyping Battery measures 3 additional domains:
sleep, metacognition, and interoception. The Parent R01 will test the 3 domains of the ANA on subjective
response to alcohol and self-administration. Specifically, individuals (N=210) with AUD (mild-to-severe) will be
phenotyped using the ANA and will complete alcohol administration and self-administration protocols. While
keeping the integrity of the experimental design of the Parent R01 intact, the candidate will include the short
version of the NIDA Phenotyping Battery as a screening assessment in the parent study which will be
administered prior to alcohol administration and self-administration procedures. The purpose of the candidate’s
proposed research is to test the relationship between sleep, metacognition, and interoception derived using the
NIDA Phenotyping Battery on subjective response to alcohol and alcohol self-administration. The specific aims
of the supplement are to determine whether dysfunction in sleep, metacognition, or interoception derived using
the NIDA Phenotyping Battery are related to subjective response to alcohol and subsequently increase alcohol
self-administration. As an exploratory aim, the candidate proposes to examine the relationship between
candidate genotypes (e.g., OPRM1) and six neurofunctional domains derived using both the ANA and NIDA
Phenotyping Battery: incentive salience, negative emotionality, executive function, sleep, metacognition, and
interoception. This diversity supplement will position the candidate to be at the forefront of translational
neuroscience in the field of addiction and provide several training opportunities geared towards moving the
candidate along the path towards research independence. The training goals for Dr. Nieto are to gain expertise
in translational science in the field of addiction and professional development as an independent scientist.