Pilot projects to improve understanding and treatment of alcohol use
Pilot Core
Small pilot projects will try new brain-imaging and medication approaches to better understand and help people who drink heavily or are at risk for alcohol use disorder.
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 ID | NIH-11127641 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This Pilot Core funds short-term projects that explore new ideas related to alcohol use and its effects on the brain. Projects include PET scans to look at synaptic markers in people with a family history of alcoholism, a medication test pairing D‑serine with sodium benzoate in heavy drinkers during controlled alcohol self-administration, brain-mapping using large fMRI datasets linked to genetic risk, and EEG/fMRI studies in people with and without family history of alcohol problems. If you join, you may be asked to provide medical history, undergo brain scans or EEG, and in some studies take a brief medication or participate in controlled alcohol-administration sessions. These are early-stage studies meant to generate data that could lead to larger clinical trials.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are adults who are heavy drinkers, people with a family history of alcoholism, or healthy volunteers willing to undergo brain imaging, EEG, and occasional short medication or alcohol-administration procedures.
Not a fit: People without alcohol-related concerns, minors, or those unwilling to undergo imaging or medication procedures are unlikely to be eligible or to benefit directly from these pilots.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these pilots could point to new treatments, biomarkers, or ways to identify who is at higher risk for harmful drinking.
How similar studies have performed: Elements such as PET synaptic imaging and NMDA-related medications have shown promising preliminary results, but combining these specific approaches in pilots is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
New Haven, United States
- Yale University — New Haven, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Krystal, John H. — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Krystal, John 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.