Alcohol Use Disorder News and Research

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Study identifies how brain abnormalities associated with alcoholism differ for men and women

Compared to alcoholic women, alcoholic men have more diminished brain activity in areas responsible for emotional processing (limbic regions including the amygdala and hippocampus), as well as memory and social processing (cortical regions including the superior frontal and supramarginal regions) among other functions.

30 Apr 2019

Study finds identical alcohol relapse rates among liver transplant recipients regardless of sobriety period

For decades, patients with liver disease related to alcohol use have been told they must be sober for six months before they can get a liver transplant.

26 Apr 2019

Prolonged exposure therapy is more effective in treating veterans with PTSD, alcohol use disorder

Prolonged exposure therapy is more effective at treating PTSD than Seeking Safety, a coping skills therapy, for patients who also have alcohol use disorder, found a VA San Diego Healthcare System study.

24 Apr 2019

Oxytocin blocks excess drinking in alcohol-dependent rats

The neuropeptide oxytocin blocks enhanced drinking in alcohol-dependent rats, according to a study published April 16 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology led by Drs. Tunstall, Koob and Vendruscolo of the National Institutes of Health, and Drs. Kirson and Roberto of The Scripps Research Institute.

17 Apr 2019

Study reveals new insights into genetic drivers of heavy drinking and alcohol use disorder

A large genomic study of nearly 275,000 people led by Penn Medicine researchers revealed new insights into genetic drivers of heavy drinking and alcohol use disorder, the uncontrollable pattern of alcohol use commonly referred to as alcoholism.

2 Apr 2019

Positive link found between anxiety during childhood, adolescence with later alcohol use disorders

In an Addiction analysis of relevant published studies, investigators found some evidence for a positive association between anxiety during childhood and adolescence with later alcohol use disorders.

20 Mar 2019

Scientists reverse alcohol-seeking behavior in rats with flip of a switch

Scientists at Scripps Research have found that they can reverse the desire to drink in alcohol-dependent rats--with the flip of a switch.

19 Mar 2019

Adolescent binge drinking may raise risk for anxiety later in life

A growing body of evidence supports the idea that alcohol exposure early in life has lasting effects on the brain and increases the risk of psychological problems in adulthood.

12 Mar 2019

Study shows how neuroactive steroids inhibit activity of pro-inflammatory proteins

For the first time, scientists discovered how neuroactive steroids naturally found in the brain and bloodstream inhibit the activity of a specific kind of protein called Toll-like receptors, which have been known to play a role in inflammation in many organs, including the brain.

14 Feb 2019

OHSU research uncovers new target to prevent, treat alcoholism

New research conducted at OHSU in Portland, Oregon, identifies a gene that could provide a new target for developing medication to prevent and treat alcoholism.

11 Feb 2019

Binge drinking in adolescence causes lasting changes in emotional center of brain

Binge drinking in adolescence has been shown to have lasting effects on the wiring of the brain and is associated with increased risk for psychological problems and alcohol use disorder later in life.

7 Feb 2019

Sexual minorities are at higher risk for different health problems, finds study

Sexual minorities -- people who are attracted to members of the same sex or who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual -- are at a higher risk for several different health problems at different points in their lives, according to Penn State researchers.

24 Jan 2019

Alcohol-linked disease overtakes hep C as top reason for liver transplant

An estimated 17,000 Americans are on the waiting list for a liver transplant, and there's a strong chance that many of them have alcohol-associated liver disease. ALD now edges out hepatitis C as the No. 1 reason for liver transplants in the United States, according to research published Tuesday in JAMA Internal Medicine.

23 Jan 2019

Lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals more likely to suffer severe substance use disorders

Researchers know that lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals are more likely than heterosexuals to use alcohol, tobacco or other drugs, but until now they didn't know to what degree.

14 Jan 2019

Reducing alcohol use could help quit daily smoking habit

If quitting smoking is one of your New Year's resolutions, you might want to consider cutting back on your drinking, too.

28 Dec 2018

Parental alcohol use disorder associated with offspring marital outcomes

Children of parents who have alcohol use disorder are more likely to get married under the age of 25, less likely to get married later in life, and more likely to marry a person who has alcohol use disorder themselves, according to a new study by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and Lund University in Sweden.

18 Dec 2018

Penn State researchers discover five types of problem drinking

Alcohol abuse is more complicated than simply drinking too much. There may be five separate types of problem drinkers, according to Penn State researchers, and each one may be more common at different stages of life.

27 Nov 2018

In-person social contact may offer protection against depression and PTSD symptoms

In-person social contact seems to offer some protection against depression and PTSD symptoms, but the same is not true of contact on Facebook, suggests a study by Veterans Affairs Portland Health Care System and Oregon Health and Science University researchers.

20 Nov 2018

Alcohol changes the molecular basis of memory formation

A new study has shown how alcohol consumption fuels addiction by hijacking a conserved memory pathway in the brain and changing memory formation.

25 Oct 2018

Scientists discover primary, direct target of alcohol in the brain

When alcohol enters the brain, it causes neurons in a specialized region called the ventral tegmental area, or VTA -- also known as the "pleasure center" -- to release dopamine, a neurotransmitter that produces those feel-good sensations, and tells the brain that whatever it just experienced is worth getting more of.

23 Oct 2018