Gut bacteria and alcohol cravings and decision-making
Official title: The role of the gut microbiota in alcohol seeking and decision-making
Funded at University of Maryland Baltimore · NIH-11195164 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether changing gut bacteria can reduce alcohol craving and improve decision-making for people with heavy drinking or alcohol use problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Maryland Baltimore NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $243,294 |
| NIH project number | 5R00AA029454-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11195164 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with a history of heavy drinking or diagnosed alcohol use disorder who struggle with strong cravings or impaired decision-making would be the eventual candidates for related treatments.
✕Less likely to help
This particular grant uses mouse experiments and does not directly offer treatment, so people without alcohol problems or those seeking immediate clinical care will not benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
From a patient's point of view, researchers are using mice to learn if feeding certain fibers (prebiotics) or moving gut microbes from one animal to another can change alcohol-seeking habits and choices. They train mice to work for alcohol and measure how consumption and decision-making change after shifting the gut microbiome. The team will give some mice prebiotics, then transfer microbes from those mice into others to see if the microbes themselves cause behavior changes. The goal is to find whether targeting gut bacteria might help manage cravings and cognitive problems tied to heavy drinking.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new microbiome-based treatments like prebiotics or microbial therapies to reduce cravings and improve decision-making during recovery.
How similar studies have gone: Some early animal and limited human studies suggest gut-targeted approaches can affect alcohol-related outcomes, but using prebiotics and fecal transfers specifically to change alcohol-seeking and decision-making is still relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Maryland Baltimore
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Thompson, Summer Loretta — University of Maryland Baltimore
- Study coordinator: Thompson, Summer Loretta
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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.