Congratulations to Dylan Kirsch, INS graduate student in the Lippard Lab, on her predoctoral fellowship award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism!

This award provides two years of support for her research "Ventral Prefrontal Network Connectivity and Alcohol Sensitivity in Bipolar Disorder and Typically Developing Young Adults".

Brief Summary:
Alcohol use disorders affect up to 60% of individuals with bipolar disorder and are associated with more severe illness outcomes, yet we lack sufficient understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to elevated risk for alcohol use disorders in bipolar disorder. As altered sensitivity to alcohol is thought to be a risk factor for the development of alcohol use disorders, the current study will seek to identify neurobiological mechanisms that underlie sensitivity to alcohol in bipolar disorder and typically developing young adults. The project has the potential to uncover neurobiological mechanisms that contribute to risk for alcohol use disorders in bipolar disorder and typical development, and inform early treatment and intervention strategies.