Teen binge drinking and sex differences in accelerated brain aging
Official title: Sex Specific Acceleration of Pathological Aging After AIE
Funded at State University of Ny,binghamton · NIH-11177693 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether heavy drinking during adolescence speeds up brain aging and Alzheimer-like brain changes differently in males and females.
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 | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $259,919 |
| NIH project number | 5P50AA017823-17 |
| Project ID | NIH-11177693 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This project does not enroll people (it uses rat models), but its results will be most relevant to people who had heavy adolescent alcohol exposure or who carry dementia risk factors like APOE-ε4.
✕Less likely to help
People without a history of adolescent alcohol exposure or with conditions unrelated to alcohol-accelerated brain aging are unlikely to benefit directly from this grant's work.
What this research studies
Researchers are using established rat models to mimic adolescent binge alcohol exposure and then follow brain changes as the animals age. They will compare normal rats and a rat model that develops Alzheimer-like pathology to measure things like new neuron growth, cholinergic brain cells, growth factors, amyloid plaques, and tau phosphorylation. The team will look for differences between males and females and for signs that adolescent exposure makes the brain less able to cope with normal aging. Findings aim to link teen alcohol exposure to later-life vulnerability to dementia and identify sex-specific biological mediators.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could clarify how teen binge drinking raises later dementia risk and point to sex-specific prevention or treatment targets.
How similar studies have gone: Prior human and animal studies have linked adolescent binge drinking to lasting brain changes, but applying those findings to Alzheimer-like pathology and sex-specific aging effects is a newer area with limited direct evidence.
Where this research is happening
-
State University of Ny,binghamton
Binghamton, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Savage, Lisa M — State University of Ny,binghamton
- Study coordinator: Savage, Lisa M
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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.