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The effect of ethanol self-administration on cocaine reinforcement in male and female monkeys

Award Number: F31DA060614
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2024
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 11/29/2025
AWARD TERMINATION DATE: 01/23/2026

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The effect of ethanol self-administration on cocaine reinforcement in male and female monkeys - In the U.S., substance use disorders (SUDs) cost more than $820 billion dollars a year and continue to present significant challenges to health and justice systems [1, 2]. Although there are clinically effective pharmacotherapies for numerous drugs of misuse there are currently no FDA-approved treatments for cocaine use disorder (CUD), despite decades of preclinical research. The lack of effective medications for CUD suggests that there are gaps in translatability between preclinical and clinical research. One possible cause of this gap is the fact that most individuals with CUD are using more than one drug at the same time [3]. One substance that is commonly co-used with cocaine is alcohol and estimates suggest that up to 90% of individuals who misuse cocaine also co-use alcohol [4, 5]. While the mechanistic basis of alcohol and cocaine co-use is still poorly understood, research suggests that ethanol may enhance cocaine’s elevation of striatal dopamine concentrations, thus increasing cocaine’s reinforcing effects [6]. It is also important to note that the co-use of cocaine and alcohol is associated with more severe cocaine dependence, higher rates of psychiatric co-morbidities, and poorer treatment outcomes [7-9]. Despite this, the vast majority of substance abuse research has focused on the use of cocaine or alcohol in isolation, which may limit the clinical translatability of research findings. Given this, the aims of this NRSA are to characterize the effects of ethanol on vulnerability to cocaine reinforcement (Aim 1), to examine how ethanol influences maladaptive cocaine choice in the presence of an alternative reinforcer (Aim 2), and to explore a potential pharmacotherapy for cocaine and alcohol co-use (Aim 3) in a translational nonhuman primate model of substance use. I hypothesize that ethanol consumption will enhance the potency of cocaine reinforcement, resulting in greater sensitivity in studies of acquisition and the ability of alternative non-drug reinforcers to decrease cocaine choice. I also hypothesize that a combination of modafinil analog JJC8-091 and naltrexone will reduce both cocaine and ethanol self-administration. These findings will build on other data providing evidence as to why people co-use multiple drugs (e.g., enhance reinforcement) and how the study of pharmacological interventions need to consider these conditions.


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: 2026 ( Subtotal = -$12,324 )
2026	2025	WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES	MEDICAL CENTER BLVD	WINSTON SALEM	NC	27157	FORSYTH	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	000	2	1/23/2026	TERMINATION	-$12,324
														Subtotal = -$12,324

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $49,538 )
2025	2025	WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES	MEDICAL CENTER BLVD	WINSTON SALEM	NC	27157	FORSYTH	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	000	2	3/20/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$48,974
2025	2025	WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES	MEDICAL CENTER BLVD	WINSTON SALEM	NC	27157	FORSYTH	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	001	2	8/11/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$564
														Subtotal = $49,538

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $48,974 )
2024	2024	WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES	MEDICAL CENTER BLVD	WINSTON SALEM	NC	27157	FORSYTH	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	001	1	3/13/2024	NEW	$0
2024	2024	WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES	MEDICAL CENTER BLVD	WINSTON SALEM	NC	27157	FORSYTH	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	002	1	4/30/2024	NEW	$1,280
2024	2024	WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES	MEDICAL CENTER BLVD	WINSTON SALEM	NC	27157	FORSYTH	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	000	1	3/13/2024	NEW	$47,694
														Subtotal = $48,974

Grand Total All Awards = $86,188

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The effect of ethanol self-administration on cocaine reinforcement in male and female monkeys

Award Number: F31DA060614

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2024

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 11/29/2025

AWARD TERMINATION DATE: 01/23/2026

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