Boosting anti-inflammatory signals in the brain to reduce binge drinking
8/11 Targeting Anti-inflammatory Gene Expression in Binge-like Drinking
This project looks at whether increasing the brain's anti-inflammatory signals can lower binge drinking.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon Health & Science University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Portland, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11296835 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers use mice that have been bred to drink to intoxication to study how inflammation in the brain affects binge-like drinking. They give drugs that raise anti-inflammatory signals (for example IL-10) — including promising compounds like apremilast — and measure whether drinking drops and which genes change. The team compares early binge initiation with long-term repeated binge episodes to see if the same anti-inflammatory patterns apply. The goal is to find anti-inflammatory targets that could lead to new treatments to reduce heavy drinking.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People who regularly engage in binge drinking or who have alcohol use disorder would be the eventual candidates for treatments developed from this research.
Not a fit: People whose alcohol problems are driven by factors unrelated to brain inflammatory signaling or who cannot take anti-inflammatory drugs may not benefit from these approaches.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new anti-inflammatory-based treatments that reduce binge drinking and lessen alcohol-related brain inflammation.
How similar studies have performed: Some preclinical studies and early drug work (for example apremilast) have reduced binge-like drinking in mice, but translating these findings to humans has been inconsistent.
Where this research is happening
Portland, United States
- Oregon Health & Science University — Portland, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ozburn, Angela Renee — Oregon Health & Science University
- Study coordinator: Ozburn, Angela Renee
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.