Florida State University researchers have received a $3.7 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, to study how social interactions influence drug avoidance and addiction. The five-year project will be led by Mohamed Kabbaj, professor of biomedical sciences in the College of Medicine, and Zuoxin Wang, professor of psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences.
The research will focus on understanding how peer partners affect an individual’s likelihood to avoid drugs and reduce cravings. In 2024, more than 46 million people in the United States had a substance use disorder, but only a small percentage received treatment. Social support systems such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous play a role in recovery, but support outside these groups is also important.
Wang stated, “It’s well known that drug abuse is a serious worldwide public health problem for humans and that social affiliation and context can have profound effects on preventing and reducing drug use and dependence. Unfortunately, the underlying neurochemical mechanism is still largely unknown.”
The team will examine neural interactions involved in both drug- and social-reward pathways. The mesolimbic system, or brain reward pathway, releases dopamine during pleasurable activities like eating or exercising. Substance abuse hijacks this pathway, reinforcing drug-seeking behavior.
Kabbaj explained: “Because oxytocin is so important for social connections, it makes us wonder: What’s really going on in the brain that makes social interactions feel rewarding — and how does that affect whether people use or steer clear of drugs?”
The study will center on amphetamine (AMPH), one of the most commonly abused drugs globally according to NIH data. Researchers aim to determine how AMPH impairs social bonding, how positive social interaction can help individuals resist drug use even when exposed to it (a process called extinction), and what role oxytocin plays in these processes.
“Hanging out with a partner or friend boosts dopamine release in specific brain areas, hitting the same spots that light up when using drugs,” Kabbaj said. “AMPH tends to reduce social behaviors and bonding, but being around someone you’re close to can actually weaken the brain’s response to drugs. Because oxytocin is so important for social connections, it makes us wonder: What’s really going on in the brain that makes social interactions feel rewarding — and how does that affect whether people use or steer clear of drugs?”
The research will target the nucleus accumbens—a key structure where dopamine influences motivation—and explore molecular-level interactions between oxytocin and dopamine.
“We believe the nucleus accumbens is where oxytocin and dopamine work together to regulate this close interaction between social behaviors and drug of abuse,” Kabbaj said. “These neurotransmitters work within a brain circuit that includes the nucleus accumbens, and we plan to isolate the roles of these various brain circuits to understand the dampening effects of social behaviors on the development and extinction of drug addiction.”
The goal is to identify new therapies—both pharmacological treatments and approaches based on enhancing social support—to help address substance use disorders.
More information about ongoing research can be found at fla.st/BR4LINE1 for Wang Lab studies or fla.st/36IF0YPF for Kabbaj Lab projects.
