Sex-specific withdrawal effects of alcohol during adolescence
Official title: Sex-specific Mechanisms of Ethanol Withdrawal During Adolescence
Funded at State University of Ny,binghamton · NIH-11416539 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant studies how adolescent boys and girls differ in withdrawal from alcohol and how brain signals in the fear-and-anxiety center (the central amygdala) may explain those differences.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | State University of Ny,binghamton NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Binghamton, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2009 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $260,468 |
| NIH project number | 5P50AA017823-18 |
| Project ID | NIH-11416539 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adolescents or young adults with a history of early alcohol exposure or those at risk for AUD, including caregivers and clinicians interested in adolescent withdrawal biology.
✕Less likely to help
This research uses animal models to explore mechanisms and may not directly benefit individual patients in the short term.
What this research studies
Researchers will study how withdrawal from alcohol affects adolescent rats, with a focus on differences between sexes. They will examine the central amygdala’s GABAergic neurons and how they connect to other brain regions, and how this changes during early versus late adolescence. The project also looks at whether hormones like vasopressin and oxytocin contribute to withdrawal-related negative feelings in a sex-specific way. Findings could illuminate why teenage girls may escalate drinking more than boys and identify targets to reduce withdrawal distress. Overall, the work aims to translate animal model findings to human adolescent risk for alcohol use disorder.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of why adolescent girls may be more vulnerable to escalating alcohol use and potential targets to reduce withdrawal-related distress.
How similar studies have gone: Past studies in animals have shown sex-specific withdrawal effects; this project extends that work to adolescence with translational relevance.
Where this research is happening
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State University of Ny,binghamton
Binghamton, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Werner, David F — State University of Ny,binghamton
- Study coordinator: Werner, David F
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.