Neural bases of alcohol-related decision-making

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 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Alcohol use disorders (AUD) cost billions of dollars in lost work time, crime, and medical complications, in addition to incalculable human misery. At the heart of all addiction disorders is a tendency to prefer the immediate reward of intoxication over all other future rewards, such as family, career development, and dignity. While research in this area has focused on impulsive choices for immediate smaller money rewards, versus larger delayed money rewards, the actual choice pattern that is made in AUD is immediate intoxication versus other larger delayed rewards. Understanding the cerebral vulnerabilities that may lead individuals to impulsive drinking instead requires assessing the brain mechanisms involved in the relative value of immediately present alcohol versus other rewards that are remote in time. By understanding the brain areas involved, their function in at-risk subjects, and how such brain activity can be manipulated using behavioral methods, we can better target addiction treatment. Aim 1 will demonstrate that measuring alcohol versus money choice is a better predictor of alcohol problems than the more standard "money versus money" choice. Aim 2 will utilize functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine how risk factors alter brain activity related to immediate alcohol choice. Aim 3 will determine how regional brain activity is biased by external stimuli (relapse triggers) during alcohol-related decision making. Aim 4 will determine how regional brain activity is biased by non-drug events that have the potential to bias choice away from intoxication. Aim 4, in particular, will inform clinical treatment of addictions by showing the mechanisms by which future orientation can alter addictive behavior. By utilizing a more precise model of AUD choice, the findings will bring the field of alcohol research closer to uncovering the brain mechanisms of this devastating disorder. In the course of performing these studies, the Primary Investigator, Dr. Brandon Oberlin, will receive extensive training and guidance from his mentor, Dr. David Kareken, and his advisory committee. Augmented by advanced coursework and supplemental education at the Indiana University School of Medicine, this grant mechanism will support and prepare him for his career as an independent scientist in the field of addiction research.