Kyle Flippo, PhD postdoctoral scholar in the Potthoff Lab, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, received a two-year grant for his project "Mapping a novel endocrine circuit regulating alcohol consumption".  Dr. Flippo is working to identify the mechanisms underlying how the endocrine hormone Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 signals in the brain to inhibit alcohol consumption. The goal is to develop novel therapeutic methods for treating alcohol use disorder.  Flippo was one of three University of Iowa scientists in the Iowa Neuroscience Institute (INI) who received a NARSAD Young Investigator grant from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation for projects focused on addiction, depression, and brain imaging. 

The two-year, $70,000 grants help promising young scientists launch careers in neuroscience and psychiatry, supporting either extended research fellowship training or starting a research lab as a junior faculty member.  

UI scientists have a strong track record of success securing NARSAD Young Investigator funding. Since 1987, 29 UI scientists have received this award from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. NARSAD is the National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders, now part of the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation.

“These grants are extremely important in supporting the early careers of young neuroscientists across the country and around the world,” says Ted Abel, PhD, INI director. “We are very proud of our young scientists’ success and of the tremendous record we have achieved over the years. This consistent recognition of the high caliber of our early-career scientists reflects the University of Iowa’s thriving neuroscience research community.”