2025 Scholars' Research Symposium Abstract: Effects of the Calcineurin Mediated Immunosuppressant Cyclosporine on Binge Alcohol Drinking and Stress Responsivity in Mice.

The findings of normal baseline drinking behaviors and improved parameters following treatment with CsA in wild type and neuronal CN knockout lineages indicate that CN at the level of neurons is not responsible for CsA-induced reduction in binge-drinking behavior. These findings, in conjunction with the reduction of neuroinflammatory gene product expression, implicate glial cells as possibly responsible for these changes. Further investigation into glia cell specific CN knockout is warranted under similar conditions. Ultimately, these findings improve the characterization of the mechanism of CsA-induced reduction in binge drinking behaviors and aid in discovering new treatments for alcohol use disorder.