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Adolescent Alcohol Abuse, Traumatic Stress, and Vulnerability to Development of PTSD

Award Number: R01AA027706
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 01/01/2020
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 12/31/2025

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Adolescent Alcohol Abuse, Traumatic Stress, and Vulnerability to Development of PTSD - 7. PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) are two of the most prevalent psychiatric conditions and are highly comorbid. The social and financial burden that results from a lack of effective treatments for these disorders is enormous. Therefore, there is a clear and urgent need to gain a greater understanding of the pathophysiological basis of PTSD and AUD comorbidity. Current evidence suggests the neurocircuitry of PTSD and AUD significantly overlap, which includes dysfunctional control of behavior by the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Thus, alterations in prefrontal mediated cognitive processes that regulate behavior may contribute to the high comorbidity of the disorders. There is a strong correlation between the age of onset of alcohol use during adolescence and the likelihood of developing an AUD later in life. In addition, adolescence is a critical period of continued development, and accumulating evidence indicates that the abuse of alcohol during adolescence can have long-term consequences on brain and behavior. Considering the high prevalence of adolescent alcohol abuse, it is therefore surprising that little research has focused on understanding its impact on an individual’s ability to cope with a traumatic stress event in adulthood. The overarching hypothesis of this proposal is that adults with a history of adolescent alcohol abuse who experience a traumatic stress event have reduced stress resiliency and are at a significantly higher risk of developing PTSD and AUD. This experimental approach takes advantage of a binge ethanol model consisting of repeated cycles of Adolescent Intermittent Ethanol (AIE) exposure by vapor inhalation and a Single Prolonged Stress (SPS) procedure that is thought to model a traumatic stress event in humans. Following AIE and SPS exposure in early adulthood, rats will then be tested for alterations in fear behavior and ethanol self-administration. The following three specific aims are designed to test the overarching hypothesis: Aim 1 will test the hypothesis that exposure to AIE-SPS results in pharmacologically reversible alterations in fear-related behaviors. Aim 2 will test the hypothesis that exposure to AIE-SPS increases alcohol consumption and relapse-like behavior induced by exposure to fear conditioned cues. Aim 3 will test the hypothesis that AIE-SPS induced alterations of fear behaviors reflect alterations in prelimbic and infralimbic communication with core regions of the fear neurocircuitry. Findings from these novel and innovative studies will significantly advance our understanding of the behavioral deficits and neural mechanisms underlying the complex interactions between AUD and PTSD, and whether a history of adolescent alcohol abuse may represent a pre-existing risk factor that increases susceptibility of developing not only PTSD associated with a traumatic event but also AUD.


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 = $450,355 )
2024	2024	THE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA	179 ASHLEY AVE	CHARLESTON	SC	29425	CHARLESTON	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	001	5	5/16/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$45,034
2024	2024	THE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA	179 ASHLEY AVE	CHARLESTON	SC	29425	CHARLESTON	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	5	12/27/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$405,321
														Subtotal = $450,355

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $827,855 )
2023	2023	MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA THE	179 ASHLEY AVE	CHARLESTON	SC	29425	CHARLESTON	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	4	12/29/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$405,321
2023	2023	MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA THE	179 ASHLEY AVE	CHARLESTON	SC	29425	CHARLESTON	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	001	4	3/14/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$45,034
2023	2023	MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA THE	179 ASHLEY AVE	CHARLESTON	SC	29425	CHARLESTON	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	002	4	4/5/2023	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$377,500
														Subtotal = $827,855

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $450,355 )
2022	2022	MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA THE	179 ASHLEY AVE	CHARLESTON	SC	29425	CHARLESTON	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	001	3	6/20/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$45,035
2022	2022	MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA THE	179 ASHLEY AVE	CHARLESTON	SC	29425	CHARLESTON	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	3	12/28/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$405,320
														Subtotal = $450,355

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $467,919 )
2021	2021	MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA THE	179 ASHLEY AVE	CHARLESTON	SC	29425	CHARLESTON	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	2	12/15/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$421,127
2021	2021	MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA THE	179 ASHLEY AVE	CHARLESTON	SC	29425	CHARLESTON	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	001	2	2/23/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$46,792
2021	2021	MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA THE	179 ASHLEY AVE	CHARLESTON	SC	29425	CHARLESTON	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	002	2	5/3/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $467,919

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $484,550 )
2020	2020	MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA	179 ASHLEY AVE	CHARLESTON	SC	29425	CHARLESTON	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	1	12/26/2019	NEW	$484,550
														Subtotal = $484,550

Grand Total All Awards = $2,681,034

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Adolescent Alcohol Abuse, Traumatic Stress, and Vulnerability to Development of PTSD

Award Number: R01AA027706

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 01/01/2020

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 12/31/2025

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