How social connections shape reactions to others and influence drinking, mood, and anxiety
Making connections among social ties, neural sensitivity to social signals, and outcomes
['FUNDING_R01'] · VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV · NIH-11099675
This project looks at how people’s social ties and sensitivity to others’ signals relate to alcohol use, depression, and anxiety.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (BLACKSBURG, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11099675 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
From a patient’s perspective, researchers will have people play interactive social games while measuring how they respond to social signals and collecting brain-related data. They will compare those responses with information about each person’s social connections, drinking patterns, mood, and anxiety to see what differs between people who do well or poorly. The team uses established game-based tasks that can quantify social sensitivity in a stepwise way so they can link those measures to real-world outcomes. Findings aim to reveal why some people with few social ties stay well while others with many ties struggle.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are adults with varying levels of social connections and a range of alcohol use or mood/anxiety symptoms who can take part in social interaction tasks (and possible brain measurements).
Not a fit: People whose health issues are unrelated to social factors or who cannot participate in in-person social tasks or brain measures are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify who is at higher risk for harmful drinking or mood problems because of how they process social signals and point to better-targeted social or behavioral supports.
How similar studies have performed: Prior work has successfully used interactive economic games and neural measures to quantify social sensitivity, but applying these tools specifically to explain variability in alcohol use and mood/anxiety is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
BLACKSBURG, UNITED STATES
- VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV — BLACKSBURG, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: CHIU, PEARL H — VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV
- Study coordinator: CHIU, PEARL H
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.