Mavoglurant's effects on brain reward and impulsivity in people with inherited risk for alcoholism
Official title: Functional Neuroimaging of Alcoholism Vulnerability: Probing Glutamate and Reward, Using the mGluR5 Inhibitor, Mavoglurant.
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11127634 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project gives mavoglurant and uses brain scans during reward and impulse-control tasks to see differences between people with and without a family history of alcoholism.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | June 4, 2001 |
| Project end | May 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $207,092 |
| NIH project number | 5P50AA012870-25 |
| Project ID | NIH-11127634 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults willing to take an experimental mGluR5 drug and undergo MRI scanning who either have a strong family history of alcoholism or have no family history.
✕Less likely to help
People who cannot have MRI scans, are unwilling to take experimental medication, or who have medical or psychiatric conditions that exclude MRI or drug exposure may not benefit or be eligible.
What this research studies
You would take an experimental drug (mavoglurant) that targets a glutamate receptor and have several fMRI scans while doing tasks that measure reward response, impulse control, alcohol-cue reactivity, and goal-directed versus habitual learning. The team compares equal groups of people who have a strong family history of alcoholism with people who have no affected relatives. Four established fMRI tasks (monetary incentive delay, go/no-go, alcohol cue reactivity, and multi-stage decision-making) are used to probe different brain systems. The scans will show how blocking mGluR5 changes brain activity linked to inherited vulnerability to alcohol problems.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new treatments that target glutamate systems to reduce risky drinking in people at inherited risk for alcoholism.
How similar studies have gone: Some prior studies have used mGluR5-targeting drugs and fMRI in addiction research with mixed results, so the approach is promising but not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pearlson, Godfrey D — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Pearlson, Godfrey D
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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.