Thread by @Peter_Aldiss

Can't believe it. Awarded a 2M DKK (~£250k) @lundbeckfonden Experiment grant for the 2nd year running. 🎉🎉🎉

This time, to uncover the role of FGF21 in drug-induced brain activity and binge-drinking in HUMANS!!

1. THREAD on exciting plans with @MatthewGillum6 @Metabolcenter

2. First and foremost, the @lundbeckfonden Experiment call favours 'high risk, high reward' proposals.

The sort of crazy ideas you'd think up in bed late one night, dream of doing but probably never submit because let's face it, it's wild, who would fund this?!

3. So, I proposed FGF21 as a regulator of abuse disorders. Pre-clinical work and human genetics supports a role for this liver secreted hormone in sucrose and alcohol intake and, more recently, morphine preference.

4. But, where does FGF21 act in the HUMAN brain? Can it regulate nutrient and drug induced brain activity, reduce drinking and be a potential candidate to treat abuse disorders? These are questions we intend to answer.

5. First, we plan to profile KLB expression in different regions of the human brain and figure out whether this differs between controls and people who were diagnosed with abuse disorders.

6. Alongside this, and this is where it gets wild, we plan to infuse FGF21 in humans who will be given sucrose, alcohol, nicotine or MDMA (!) Using fMRI we want to figure out where FGF21 acts in the human brain and if it can regulate nutrient/drug-induced brain activity.

7. Finally, we hope to see if FGF21 infusion can reduce alcohol consumption in a proposed human binge-drinking paradigm.

8. Huge thanks to @lundbeckfonden and @MatthewGillum6 for supporting this madness. I'm excited to get back to some human physiology, and for my first foray into human neuroscience.

9. And, for anyone who made it this far, if you're in Denmark, start thinking of some crazy shit to submit next year!!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS 🎄🎄🎄