How the brain chemical norepinephrine affects binge drinking and alcohol's unpleasant effects
Official title: The role of brainstem norepinephrine in binge alcohol drinking and taste aversion
Funded at Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill · NIH-11326635 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are seeing whether norepinephrine signals in the brainstem change binge drinking and the unpleasant reactions to alcohol in ways that could help people who binge drink.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project start | April 15, 2018 |
| Project end | February 29, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $349,875 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AA025809-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11326635 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults who regularly binge drink or meet criteria for alcohol use disorder would be the most relevant group for related human studies.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not binge drink or whose drinking is driven mainly by social or non-neurological factors are unlikely to benefit directly from these findings.
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, scientists are looking at specific brainstem neurons that release norepinephrine to understand why high-dose alcohol can feel aversive and how that influences binge drinking. Using animal models, they measure activity in key brainstem regions and manipulate norepinephrine signaling with drugs or targeted techniques to see how drinking behavior and taste aversion change. The team links those circuit changes to patterns of binge-like alcohol consumption to identify points where medications might alter drinking. Findings aim to translate into targets for treatments that reduce harmful overconsumption.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new medication targets that make alcohol less appealing and help reduce binge drinking.
How similar studies have gone: Previous animal and some small human studies linking norepinephrine-targeting drugs to changes in alcohol use and withdrawal exist, but this detailed circuit-focused approach is still relatively early-stage.
Where this research is happening
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Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Thiele, Todd Eric — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Thiele, Todd Eric
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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.