Long-term recovery from alcohol use — relapse, daily functioning, and brain-behavior markers
Official title: Longitudinal Study of Recovery: Psychosocial Functioning, Relapse, and Neuro-Behavioral Markers
Funded at Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ · NIH-11326693 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows people recovering from alcohol use disorder over many years to track relapse, everyday functioning, and brain-behavior signs.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Blacksburg, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $673,373 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AA029135-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11326693 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with a history of alcohol use disorder who are in recovery (including a range of recovery lengths) and who can join the online International Quit & Recovery Registry are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without a history of problematic alcohol use or those unable or unwilling to participate in repeated online follow-up are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
You would join an online registry of people who have quit or reduced drinking and complete regular surveys and computer-based tasks. The team enrolls people at different lengths of recovery so they can combine results to represent up to 12 years of recovery experience. The work looks at decision-making tied to impulsive versus control systems in the brain using computerized measures and repeated questionnaires. Most participation is remote through the International Quit & Recovery Registry with ongoing follow-up over time.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reveal when and how relapse risk changes over the long term and point to better-timed or targeted relapse-prevention supports.
How similar studies have gone: Short-term studies have linked brain-behavior measures to relapse risk, but few projects have combined an accelerated longitudinal design and a large online recovery registry to map decade-long recovery trajectories, making this approach relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ
Blacksburg, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kim-Spoon, Jungmeen — Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ
- Study coordinator: Kim-Spoon, Jungmeen
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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.