Alcohol Use Disorder News and Research

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Sex differences in depression: Including transgender and intersex populations in mental health research

In 2016, recognizing that lack of research in female animals was hampering the success of treatments for mood disorders, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) changed its policy for basic research to include sex as a biological variable for basic research, a move that triggered an explosion of research into sex differences.

1 Aug 2023

Skin medication shows promise in treating alcohol use disorder

Researchers from Oregon Health & Science University and institutions across the country have identified a pill used to treat a common skin disease as an "incredibly promising" treatment for alcohol use disorder.

21 Feb 2023

A call to action proposed for health providers to ensure widest distribution, easy availability of naloxone

In 2021, 100,306 Americans died from drug overdoses – a 28.5 percent increase from the prior year – with 75,673 attributed to opioids.

16 Feb 2023

Brain cells may age faster in people with cocaine use disorder

A new study finds evidence from the DNA methylome that the biological age – different from the chronological age – of cells in Brodmann Area 9 of the prefrontal cortex might be greater in people with cocaine use disorder.

16 Feb 2023

Cocaine use disorder leads to changes in the 'methylome' of a brain region

Scientists tend to view substance addiction as primarily a disease of the brain. When we enjoy sex, food, music, or hobbies, regions of our brain within the reward pathway are flooded with pleasure-inducing dopamine.

14 Feb 2023

Fear and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic associated with new alcohol use disorder diagnoses

Researchers explored the association between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections and new diagnoses of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in the two years since the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

13 Feb 2023

Study finds distinct differences in how the brain releases dopamine in patients with alcohol use disorder

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that's made in the brain and acts as a chemical messenger, communicating between nerve cells in the brain and the rest of the body.

7 Feb 2023

Study finds alterations in the gut microbiome of young adult binge drinkers

Youth binge drinkers show alterations in the gut microbiome, a new study finds.

2 Feb 2023

Study explores the role of endocannabinoids in hazardous drinking among young adults

Although heavy drinking in young adulthood increases the risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD), not all young heavy drinkers go on to develop AUD, globally the most common substance use disorder.

18 Jan 2023

Study discovers four genes linked to increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors

A large study of military members led by researchers at Duke Health and the Durham VA identified four genes that are linked to an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

15 Dec 2022

Individuals with alcohol use disorder less likely to receive treatment for hepatitis C, study shows

A new study supported by the National Institutes of Health shows that individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) are less likely to receive antivirals for hepatitis C, despite current guidelines recommending antiviral treatment regardless of alcohol use.

14 Dec 2022

Injuries associated with alcohol use disorders may increase the risk of death in the next year

When people are injured severely enough to require treatment at the hospital and they are either intoxicated or have an alcohol use disorder, they have a fivefold increased risk of dying in the next year, according to a new study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

13 Dec 2022

Scientists identify a class of drugs that may prevent alcohol use disorder in people with PTSD

Survivors of abuse and trauma are vastly more likely than other people to develop alcohol use disorder (AUD); according to some estimates, as many as three-quarters of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) report drinking problems.

21 Nov 2022

Parental discord linked to children's genetic risk for alcohol problems

Parents can transmit a genetic risk for alcohol problems to their children not only directly, but also indirectly via genetically influenced aspects of the home environment, such as marital discord or divorce, according to a Rutgers researcher.

3 Nov 2022

Heart medication may also be effective for treating alcohol use disorder

A medication for heart problems and high blood pressure may also be effective for treating alcohol use disorder, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and their colleagues.

20 Sep 2022

Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, studies report

Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, or NH/PIs, comprising more than 20 ethnic groups hailing from Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia, are understudied despite being the third fastest growing racial group in the United States. Two studies now report that NH/PIs have been deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

19 Sep 2022

What is the role of psychedelic drugs in the treatment of psychiatric disorders?

A new study aimed to determine the clinical applications of psychedelic drugs along with psychedelic-assisted therapy for different psychiatric disorders.

25 Jul 2022

Study determines how the emotional hub of the brain contributes to negative feelings

Tucked into the temporal lobe, near the base of our brain, sits a small, almond-shaped region called the amygdala that processes our emotions.

7 Jul 2022

New method helps determine alcohol consumption in fatty liver disease

It is important to know whether patients have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or alcohol-related liver disease (ALD), as this distinction plays a key role in treatment and prognosis but cannot be reliably determined by established diagnostic means.

5 Jul 2022

Immune protein could be a target of future treatments for alcohol use disorder

The anxiety that occurs during withdrawal from excessive alcohol use, and contributes to relapse, may be driven in part by the release of an immune protein in the brain, according to a new study from scientists at Scripps Research.

8 Jun 2022