Brain network patterns linked to risk for hazardous drinking
Official title: Project 1: Dynamic functional brain network phenotypes associated with vulnerability to hazardous alcohol consumption
Funded at Wake Forest University Health Sciences · NIH-11238060 · Data updated 2026-11-12
We are looking at brain activity in teens and young adults to find patterns that signal a higher risk of hazardous drinking and whether gentle brain stimulation can change those patterns.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wake Forest University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Winston-Salem, United States) |
| Project start | December 10, 2017 |
| Project end | November 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $292,130 |
| NIH project number | 5P50AA026117-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11238060 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adolescents and young adults (roughly ages 12–20) with varying drinking histories or concern about future hazardous alcohol use who can safely undergo MRI and non-invasive brain stimulation.
✕Less likely to help
People outside the 12–20 age range, those unwilling or unable to have MRI or brain stimulation, or those with contraindicating medical conditions are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
You would have brain scans while resting so researchers can map how key brain networks interact over time. Advanced computer modeling and machine learning will search those scans for dynamic patterns that predict who becomes more likely to drink hazardously. Some participants may receive non-invasive brain stimulation to a part of the brain involved in self-control to see whether those network patterns can be shifted. The team aims to tie changing brain network dynamics to drinking risk and test whether stimulation can alter those dynamics.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help spot young people at risk for hazardous drinking earlier and point to new brain-based prevention or treatment options.
How similar studies have gone: Prior imaging studies have linked the default mode, salience, and sensorimotor networks to drinking behaviors, but using dynamic network models and targeted brain stimulation in this group is relatively new and not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Winston-Salem, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Laurienti, Paul — Wake Forest University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Laurienti, Paul
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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.