Social functioning impairments are often observed in individuals diagnosed with alcohol use disorders (AUD), however the etiology of such impairments is currently unknown. As poor social functioning, social withdrawal and social isolation are predictive of worse treatment outcomes in AUD, it is imperative that we better understand how social information is treated in this population. This proposal aims to investigate how socially- relevant information is processed in AUD in two different ways: 1) broadly characterize the networks responsible for the processing of social rewards using classic functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques and 2) specifically characterize the influence the oxytocinergic system, a key system in mediating social behavior, has on these processes by incorporating an intranasal oxytocin challenge (pharmacological fMRI). This proposal has chosen to target social rewards (i.e., positive feedback, smiling faces) as deficits i social reward processing may be in part responsible for the social impairments observed in AUD. It is widely acknowledged that the networks that process rewards (i.e., food, money, drugs) are disrupted in AUD. Moreover, there is substantial overlap in the neural regions engaged during processing of non-social and social rewards in humans; however a disruption of social reward processing in AUD has not been proven. Abnormalities within the oxytocinergic system have been previously noted in post-mortem studies in AUD, however no studies to date have examined the linkage between oxytocinergic system functioning and localized brain activity in living, alcohol dependent individuals. This Mentored Career Development Award (K01) will not only support Dr. Tiffany Love's long-term career goal of establishing an independent translational research program within an academic setting but will also deliver much needed research in a largely overlooked area in AUD. This K01 award will provide Dr. Love with the training necessary to conduct clinical research investigations in alcohol dependent populations, which will augment her extensive background in neuroimaging healthy populations to place her in a competitive position to obtain later R01 funding. As clinical trials are currentl underway utilizing intranasal oxytocin as a novel pharmacotherapy tool to treat patients with substance use disorders, completion of Dr. Love's proposed research will be of immediate clinical relevance. The findings from her project will inform the field on how social information processing is affected by alcohol dependence and advise clinicians of the potential ramifications oxytocin use may have on some of the fundamental neural processes thought to be disrupted in addiction.
Social functioning impairments are a common feature of alcohol use disorders. Such impairments can lead to social withdrawal and isolation, which are associated with higher rates of mortality and worse treatment outcomes. This proposal seeks to characterize the neural mechanisms responsible for the processing of socially-relevant information in individuals with alcohol use disorder with special emphasis placed on the influence the social neuropeptide oxytocin has on these processes.
