Sleep, Circadian Rhythms, and Substance Use Disorders

Scope

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has highlighted a critical need to understand the biological mechanisms that underlie the relationship between sleep/circadian rhythms and substance use disorders (SUDs). Sleep dysregulation is prevalent in over 75% of individuals with SUDs and poses a major challenge to recovery. This funding priority seeks research that:

Offers insights into the fundamental mechanistic processes linking SUDs to disorders of sleep and circadian rhythms.

Identifies sleep/circadian-based markers for managing risks associated with developing SUDs or predicting relapse.

Discovers novel therapeutic targets based on these biological intersections.

Eligibility & Partnerships

This is an investigator-initiated research priority. Participating Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs) include:

NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse)

NIAAA (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)

ORWH (Office of Research on Women’s Health) – specifically interested in sex-specific interventions and hormonal fluctuations.

Application Requirements

Applicants should not look for a specific Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) unique to this topic. Instead, researchers must:

Apply through an appropriate NIH Parent Funding Announcement (e.g., R01, R21) or other broad NIH opportunities available on Grants.gov.

Ensure the proposal aligns with the mission of the participating ICOs.

Reference the Highlighted Topic logic in the application where appropriate to signal alignment with this priority.

Deadline: This topic is active until September 10, 2026.

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Sleep, Circadian Rhythms, and Substance Use Disorders