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Genetic and neuronal basis of behavioral variation in responses to social isolation

Award Number: R01GM167219
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/01/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2030

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Genetic and neuronal basis of behavioral variation in responses to social isolation - Summary Animals, from humans to flies, thrive with social interactions and suffer significant adverse mental and physical health consequences when isolated. In mammals, social isolation increases aggression, contributes to neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative conditions, and disrupts sleep, memory, and attention. Yet, responses to isolation vary among individuals, populations, and species. How environmental and genetic constraints shape these individual responses remains poorly defined. Emerging data show that experience-dependent changes in gene regulation, neuromodulation, and behavioral modifications are linked. How variation among these mechanisms leads to variation in social experience-dependent behavior remains unclear. This proposal addresses this question by defining the molecular and neural circuit basis of individual susceptibility to the adverse mental and physical effects of social isolation. In previous studies, we showed that social experience alters transcriptional cascades in the brain to reprogram circadian genes to contribute to the modulation of behaviors in response to social experience. In preliminary studies, we identified individuals from specific population with variation in their behavioral and brain gene expression responses to social experience and determined candidate genes with synaptic and neuromodulatory functions driving the variation. The project aims to interrogate behavioral variation among individuals across populations in depth and identify molecular and circuit mechanisms driving this variation. Data from genomic, transcriptional, and neuronal patterns will be integrated to reveal patterns associated with behavioral variation. Causal links will be established between candidate gene expression, regulatory elements, and variation in behavioral responses to social isolation. The genes and mechanisms revealed from these studies will inform how natural genetic variation influences neuronal pathways to modulate plasticity of the responses to social experience.


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 = $339,237 )
2026	2026	DUKE UNIVERSITY	2200 W MAIN ST	DURHAM	NC	27705	DURHAM	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	1	7/9/2026	NEW	$339,237
														Subtotal = $339,237

Grand Total All Awards = $339,237

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Genetic and neuronal basis of behavioral variation in responses to social isolation

Award Number: R01GM167219

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/01/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2030

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