Wednesday, July 2, 2025 7/2/2025

Investigating the role of prefrontal cortex circuits in opioid-induced risk-taking behavior

Award Number: F31DA055469
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/01/2022
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2025

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Investigating the role of prefrontal cortex circuits in opioid-induced risk-taking behavior - Project Summary Despite the widely publicized risks of non-medical opioid use, opioid misuse continues to be a serious health problem affecting a significant parcel of the population in the United States. While opioid use disorder has been linked to abnormal risk-related decision making, the causal mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. Both human and animal studies suggest that aberrant activity in the brain's prefrontal cortex (PFC) may contribute to the risky choice behavior induced by repeated opioid exposure. Particularly, the prelimbic subregion (PL) of the PFC has been implicated in both the rewarding effects and the subsequent behavioral changes induced by opioids. Previous neuroanatomical studies have shown that PL neurons send dense projections to the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a region implicated in behavioral motivation and maladaptive opioid seeking. Additionally, the PL projects densely to the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT), a region involved in behavioral conflict and the negative emotional aspects of opioid withdrawal. However, how opioids alter the function of these two distinct PL pathways to elicit risky drug seeking remains unexplored. I will address this question by using a novel model of opioid-induced risk-taking behavior in which rats will be exposed to a conflict between seeking opioids and avoiding a fearful stimulus. In Aim 1, I will investigate individual variabilities in risky decision making and determine which behaviors predict risky choice during a conflict situation. In Aim 2, I will combine optogenetic and electrophysiological techniques to record the activity of PL neurons that project to either the NAc (PL-NAc) or the PVT (PL-PVT) during the conflict test. Finally, in Aim 3, I will establish the role of PL-NAc and PL-PVT projections in opioid-induced risk taking by using optogenetics to either inhibit or excite these circuits during conflict and characterize the resultant behavior. This project will allow me to uncover the PFC underpinnings of opioid-induced risky decision making, which may help us to understand how repeated opioid exposure affects motivated behaviors in humans.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $36,471 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT HOUSTON	7000 FANNIN ST FL 9	HOUSTON	TX	77030	HARRIS	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	000	3	6/11/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$36,471
														Subtotal = $36,471

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $35,191 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT HOUSTON, THE	7000 FANNIN ST	HOUSTON	TX	77030	HARRIS	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	000	2	6/8/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$35,191
														Subtotal = $35,191

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $34,249 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT HOUSTON, THE	7000 FANNIN ST	HOUSTON	TX	77030	HARRIS	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	001	1	1/27/2022	NEW	$0
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT HOUSTON, THE	7000 FANNIN ST	HOUSTON	TX	77030	HARRIS	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	000	1	1/18/2022	NEW	$33,533
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT HOUSTON, THE	7000 FANNIN ST	HOUSTON	TX	77030	HARRIS	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	003	1	5/23/2022	NEW	-$1
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT HOUSTON, THE	7000 FANNIN ST	HOUSTON	TX	77030	HARRIS	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	002	1	4/19/2022	NEW	$717
														Subtotal = $34,249

Grand Total All Awards = $105,911

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Investigating the role of prefrontal cortex circuits in opioid-induced risk-taking behavior

Award Number: F31DA055469

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/01/2022

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2025

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer