Impulsivity plays a significant role in excessive drinking. The behavior, which can lead to binge drinking or reckless driving, is a risk factor for and a consequence of alcohol use disorder.
Kathleen Bryant, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology at the Indiana University School of Medicine, is investigating how specific neurons found in the brain’s prefrontal cortex may impact impulsive behaviors among those with a genetic risk for alcohol use disorder.
Nearly 28.9 million people over the age of 12 in the United States lived with an alcohol use disorder in the past year, according to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. And 61.4 million people ages 12 and up reported binge drinking in the past month, the survey said.
Bryant, who studies in the laboratory of Christopher Lapish, PhD, professor of anatomy, cell biology and physiology, received a Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to support her research. The lab is located within the Stark Neurosciences Research Institute at the IU School of Medicine.
People with a family history of alcohol misuse are reported to be more impulsive than those without familial risk, Bryant said. This project will better understand how neural circuits in the brain that underlie impulsivity are altered by familial risk of alcohol use disorder.
Bryant is specifically studying parvalbumin interneurons — a type of inhibitory neuron that help manages brain activity. Bryant has found through past studies that these interneurons are important for regulating decision making in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. The project will study impulsivity using preclinical models of behavioral genetic risk for excessive drinking.
"We're working to understand how parvalbumin interneurons are involved in impulsive decision making and determine how we can use translational methods to modulate neurons to reduce impulsivity,” Bryant said. “We have evidence that shows these interneurons are less functional in brains with a genetic risk for excessive drinking, which may result in increased impulsivity.”
The research team will study a preclinical model of behavioral genetic risk for alcohol misuse to assess what changes in the prefrontal cortex underlie increased impulsivity. In addition to studying animal models, Bryant will use computational techniques in the lab that integrate machine learning and artificial intelligence to model behavioral systems and brain circuits.
They will also use a technique called chemogenetics to specifically target parvalbumin interneurons in prefrontal cortex and modulate the neurons to reduce impulsivity. Bryant said this can be conducted through an intranasal injection in animal models.
"This intranasal method — spraying it into nostrils — is really important for translational work because it's really easy to use as a treatment for humans,” Bryant said. “Our long-term goal is to use translational methods like these as preventative or treatment strategies for people living with alcohol use disorder.”
Lapish, who is the director of addiction research at the Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, said Bryant is among several members of the research group who are using similar scientific approaches to identify changes in the brain structure and function associated with addiction. The group, which includes nearly 30 faculty members from the IU School of Medicine and the School of Science at IU Indianapolis, received $21.5 million of external funding in 2024.
“If we're going to tackle the big problems that we face as a society, then we need to understand these problems at a deep level,” Lapish said. “Basic science research is critical for generating better treatments for addiction. This grant reflects the cutting-edge work going on in the addiction research group at Stark. With continued support, we can deliver on the promise of a better future for people struggling with addiction.”
The IU School of Medicine is also home to the Indiana Alcohol Research Center, an interdisciplinary research center where experts study behavioral, genetic and central nervous system factors that contribute to alcohol use disorders. The center was first established in 1987 and is led by faculty from the IU School of Medicine and the IU Indianapolis School of Science.
