Project: Inflamed Brain Response in Alcohol Addiction: Understanding the role of neuroinflammation, immunotypes and gut-brain reactivity for heterogeneity in disease course and therapy response
| Acronym | IBRAA |
| Project Topic | Alcohol addiction is a common psychiatric disorder with largely unmet treatment needs. The response to alcohol varies significantly among individuals. We argue that this variability is due to the interaction between the immune system and the brain. We will study vulnerability during early abstinence in alcohol use disorders (AUD). We hypothesize that cessation of alcohol consumption in these chronic drinkers is a stimulus that triggers a rebound proinflammatory response in the brain. The study aims to (1) identify vulnerability and resiliency factors in AUD, with spatial and temporal signatures transformed into biomarkers, and (2) to explore interventions that can attenuate the rebound neuroinflammation after alcohol withdrawal and therefore be neuroprotective and therapeutic. We will perform human studies in parallel with translationally validated animal models to investigate cellular and molecular mechanisms. Newly developed tools for non-invasive MRI-based mapping and quantification of microglia reactivity in the brain, will be used in both species to link peripheral immune factors with neuroinflammation and brain damage. Interventions will include omega-3 fatty acids and psilocybin, a psychedelic drug with anti-inflammatory activity and demonstrated efficacy for AUD treatment. A strong validation of our hypotheses would lead to modifications in clinical practice, including the use of nutritional supplements as potential treatments to enhance resiliency in AUD patients. |
| Network | NEURON Cofund2 |
| Call | Neuron Cofund2 Joint Call 2023 |
Project partner
| Number | Name | Role | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas | Coordinator | Spain |
| 2 | Université de Bordeaux | Partner | France |
| 3 | CHU de Nimes | Partner | France |
| 4 | Central Institute of Mental Health | Partner | Germany |
| 5 | Université catholique de Louvain | Partner | Belgium |
| 6 | Asociatia Transylvanian Institute of Neuroscience | Partner | Romania |