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alcohol use disorder

This is a cartoon drawing of someone handing another person a bottle of wine

·August 22, 2020·5 min read

Your In-Laws’ History of Drinking Problems Could Lead to Alcohol Issues of Your Own

Study reveals a previously unrecognized family connection to alcohol use disorder, the drinking habits of a person's in-laws. People married to those who experienced parental alcohol misuse as a child are more likely to develop an addiction to alcohol, even if the spouse has no history of a personal battle with alcohol use.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·June 4, 2020·4 min read

New alcohol genes uncovered

Twenty-nine genes have now been identified as being linked to problematic alcohol use. A new study report, in addition to an increased risk of alcohol use disorder, people with specific genes linked to AUD also have an increased risk of depression, insomnia, and addiction to tobacco.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 2, 2020·3 min read

Estrogen’s role in the sex differences of alcohol abuse

Estrogen level fluctuations appear to play a role in alcohol use disorder in women. Reducing the number of estrogen receptors in the ventral tegmental area decreased binge drinking behaviors in female mouse models.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·May 25, 2020·2 min read

Problems with alcohol? 29 gene variants may explain why

Researchers have identified 29 genetic variants linked to problematic alcohol use. Nineteen of the genes were previously unknown independent risk factors for alcohol use disorder.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 11, 2020·3 min read

“Women my age tend to drink, it’s normal”

Women aged 50 to 70 are more likely to consume alcohol at levels that exceed low-risk drinking guidelines than younger women. They are also more likely to perceive their drinking behavior as normal and acceptable, so long as they appear in control and respectable.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 14, 2020·5 min read

Alcohol dependence results in brain-wide remodeling of functional architecture

Using a novel imaging technique, researchers produce a whole mouse brain atlas, which reveals how alcohol addiction, and abstinence, alter the functional architecture of the brain.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 4, 2020·3 min read

The best way to ditch bad habits: what science can teach us

Was your New Year's resolution to ditch a bad habit? Researchers explore the best ways to curb your withdrawal and explain why relapse isn't always such a bad thing.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·December 30, 2019·5 min read

Developmental changes in the brain may influence how often adolescents get drunk

Teens with a particular pattern of brain development have an increased frequency of drunkenness, a new study reports. Decreased gray matter density in the frontal and temporal brain regions was associated with an increased risk of teenage over-drinking.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·December 18, 2019·4 min read

Booze on the brain

Dysfunction in a brain pathway that usually keeps compulsive drinking in check may play a critical role in alcohol use disorder.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 13, 2019·5 min read

Scientists discover key neural circuit regulating alcohol consumption

Specific neurons in the central nucleus of the amygdala regulate alcohol consumption.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·November 26, 2019·5 min read

One shot of ketamine could reduce problem drinking

A single shot of ketamine administered to heavy drinkers following reactivation of their drinking memories led to a rapid decrease in the urge to drink. The effect lasted for over nine months.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 22, 2019·3 min read

What leads to compulsive alcohol use?

A network linking the medial prefrontal cortex and brainstem plays a critical role in the development of compulsive drinking disorder and is a driver for its expression.