Identifying epigenetic and brain-connectivity changes during opioid withdrawal and relapse
Official title: IDENTIFYING EPIGENOMICS AND CONNECTOMICS OF PROTRACTED OPIOID WITHDRAWAL AND RELAPSE USING CELLULAR BARCODING
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11360198 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are studying how opioid withdrawal and relapse affect the brain’s genes and wiring in rats using new cellular barcoding tools.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $491,250 |
| NIH project number | 5DP1DA056668-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11360198 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This research uses rodent models, but findings could inform human studies and future clinical trials in opioid use disorder.
✕Less likely to help
Direct patient benefit is not immediate since the study is in animals; human-specific therapies would require further translation.
What this research studies
This project uses cutting-edge brain-mapping methods to link gene activity, genome accessibility, and neural connections in single cells after opioid exposure and withdrawal. By labeling thousands of neurons with RNA barcodes, scientists can trace how circuits reorganize during abstinence and relapse in a 3D brain map. The work combines epigenomics, connectomics, and spatial transcriptomics to create a high-resolution picture of the brain’s response to opioids. Findings could point to molecular targets and brain circuits to improve treatments for addiction.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: A clearer map of brain changes in opioid withdrawal and relapse could guide development of better therapies and interventions.
How similar studies have gone: Previous brain-mapping approaches have yielded insights into addiction-related changes, and the new single-cell, multi-modal mapping builds on that foundation with higher resolution.
Where this research is happening
-
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kebschull, Justus M — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Kebschull, Justus M
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Social stress and smoking: why disadvantaged young adults struggle to quit
This grant looks at how daily social stress affects if and when disadvantaged young adults who smoke can quit and stay quit.
-
Learning from remission and relapse in lupus (SLE)
Researchers are studying people with systemic lupus erythematosus who are in long-term remission without steroids or immunosuppressants to understand their immune cells, brain function, and what might predict relapse.
-
Learning from Remission and Relapse in SLE
A program to study people with systemic lupus erythematosus who are in long-term remission to understand immune and brain signals that might predict relapse.
-
Alternative NF-kB activation after chemotherapy in ovarian cancer
This grant studies how ovarian cancer might come back after chemotherapy by looking at specific signaling pathways in cancer cells and the tumor environment.
-
Predictors of autoimmunity onset and relapse in skin
A study to understand what biological signals in skin predict when autoimmune diseases start, flare, or worsen in people at risk.
-
Determinants of TB Control, Relapse, and Reinfection
A large, multi-year study aims to understand why some people who are treated for TB still have persistent infection or relapse, with the goal of improving prevention and treatment.
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.