The WF-TARC supports four research projects and two cores. An administrative core provides the leadership and infrastructure needed to ensure integration across all research projects. This core also provides biostatistical support to all WF-TARC investigators and seeks to identify and promote collaborative interactions between the WF-TARC and the many other translational research centers and educational programs at the Wake Forest School of Medicine (WFSM). A pilot project core supports four projects with the goal of increasing translational alcohol research at WFSM.

Research Overview

The unifying research focus of the WF-TARC is to leverage the strengths and advantages of animal models and human subjects research to study behavioral correlates of AUD vulnerability and identify neurobiological adaptations that contribute to this heightened risk of developing AUD. Studies employ cutting-edge, multidisciplinary experimental approaches spanning molecular, cellular, circuit, and whole-brain analyses. Importantly, each project is evaluating novel interventions targeted at reversing the maladaptive neural adaptations that promote AUD vulnerability. The highly-integrated conceptual framework and research design promotes backward and forward interactions between the projects, facilitating the rapid translation of therapeutic discoveries from animals to humans.

Research Project Highlights