Sleep patterns and risky drinking in young adults
Official title: Mechanisms of Risky Alcohol Use in Young Adults: Linking Sleep Duration and Timing to Reward- and Stress-Related Brain Function
Funded at University of Oregon · NIH-11369922 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether short or late sleep schedules change reward and stress brain systems and lead to heavier drinking in 18–24-year-olds with recent high-risk alcohol use and many past stressful experiences.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Oregon NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Eugene, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $501,411 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AA029125-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11369922 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are 18–24 year olds with recent high-risk drinking (for example, women averaging ≥4 drinks/day or ≥8/week, men ≥5 drinks/day or ≥15/week) and a history of many lifetime stressors.
✕Less likely to help
People younger than 18 or older than 24, those without recent high-risk drinking or with low lifetime stress exposure, or those unwilling to travel for in-person visits are unlikely to be eligible or directly benefit.
What this research studies
You would join a study of young adults (ages 18–24) who have recently been drinking at high-risk levels and who report many past stressful events. One part follows about 150 people over time to see whether short or late sleep predicts changes in brain responses to reward and stress and later drinking. A second part enrolls about 100 people in an experiment that changes sleep duration and timing to see how that affects brain function and drinking behavior. Throughout the study you may wear sleep monitors, complete questionnaires, and have brain imaging and drinking measures taken in person.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could point to sleep- and circadian-based ways to prevent or reduce risky drinking in young adults.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research links poor sleep to greater alcohol use, but experimentally changing sleep to measure brain reward/stress mechanisms and direct effects on drinking is a more recent and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Oregon
Eugene, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Casement, Melynda D — University of Oregon
- Study coordinator: Casement, Melynda 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.