Identification and modulation of insula to BNST circuit specific afferents in ethanol abstinence

项目总结

PROJECT SUMMARY I am the lucky father to a joy-filled eleven-month-old son. It is hard to capture the love he has brought into our family’s life, yet his birth has come with additional stressors. Notably, the financial burden on our new family is significant. My wife works full-time to support the family while I complete my training. My extended family does not live in our state, and my wife’s family is back in her home country, meaning we are largely flying solo. Our seclusion from familial support has made reliable and accessible daycare a necessity to my ability to do science. There have been days on which daycare was closed (due to Covid exposure). During that time, my son stayed home, and I became a full-time parent. It proved a stark illustration of how necessary childcare is to my ability to continue working to better understand the neurocircuitry involved in stress and addiction. Unfortunately, even within this year, we have seen childcare costs continue to rise from what already felt barely affordable on a graduate student’s salary. This cost puts significant strain on our budget. Funding for childcare expenses will help us offset those costs and allow me to work more effectively to achieve the project’s original aims.