This is a Competitive Revision Application in response to NOT-OD-09-058 """"""""NIH Announces the Availability of Recovery Act Funds for Competitive Revision Applications."""""""" The parent R01 grant investigates neurodynamics (neuronal firing, dopamine release) in the dorsal striatum during goal-directed and habitual alcohol drinking and relapse-like behavior. The supplement will compare the behavioral pharmacology of therapeutic drugs on goal-directed versus habitual alcohol drinking and relapse-like behavior. The resulting data may have a profound impact on the interpretation of preclinical studies of therapeutic drugs for treatment of alcoholism, and could lead to improved preclinical animal models of alcohol drinking and relapse-like behavior. These non-overlapping aims are synergistic with the parent grant and will lead to future studies to determine the effect of therapeutic drugs on neurodynamics in the striatum during alcohol self-administration and relapse-like behavior. The supplemental aims comply with the justification of the Recovery Act by enabling hiring of new full-time and part-time staff. The supplemental aims also address the goal of the NIAAA Strategic Plan to improve animal models in medication development and the NIH goal of comparative effectiveness research (preclinical).
This competitive revision will expand the parent grant by comparatively evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of naltrexone and topiramate on goal-directed versus habit-driven alcohol drinking and relapse-like behavior. In compliance with the purpose of the Recovery Act, it will create new full-time and part-time employment.