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alcohol use disorder

·June 21, 2019·4 min read

Neuroscience research questions current alcohol limit

Drinking small amounts of alcohol, like one pint of beer or a large glass of wine, significantly impairs our feeling of being in control of our actions. A new study reveals even one beer can lead to overconfidence in driving ability and make us act in inappropriate, potentially dangerous ways. The study begs the question, are current alcohol limits for driving truly safe?

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·May 28, 2019·4 min read

GWAS identifies new risk loci for harmful alcohol use

Genome-wide study identifies five novel alcohol use risk loci which can pass on the risk of developing alcohol abuse disorder from parents to children.

This shows a young man and woman drinking

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·May 4, 2019·3 min read

Gender impacts brain activity in alcohol use disorder

Men with alcohol use disorder have diminished brain activity in areas associated with emotional processing, memory and social processing, compared to women with AUD. The findings may lead to gender-specific treatments to help relieve addition to alcohol.

This shows the chemical structure of oxytocin

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·April 16, 2019·3 min read

Oxytocin could help treat alcohol use disorder: Rat Study

Administering oxytocin blocks the enhanced motivation for drinking alcohol that fuels alcohol use disorder by blocking GABA signaling in the central nucleus of the amygdala.

This image shows brain scans of the continued damage alcohol does to the brain

Featured Neuroscience

·April 3, 2019·5 min read

Alcohol-induced brain damage continues after alcohol is stopped

Contrary to popular belief that brain changes begin to normalize immediately after ceasing alcohol consumption, a new study reveals damage to the brain continues during the first weeks of abstinence.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·April 2, 2019·5 min read

Study reveals genes associated with heavy drinking and alcoholism

18 genetic variants have been identified which appear to be associated with alcohol use disorder and heavy drinking. Of these genes, five were overlapped, eight were associated with heavy consumption and five were linked to an increased risk of AUD. The study concluded that while heavy drinking is a risk factor for alcoholism, it is not a sufficient cause of the disorder.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·May 23, 2018·4 min read

People with Family History of Alcoholism Release More Dopamine in Expectation of Alcohol

A new study reports people who have a family history of alcohol use disorder release more dopamine in the ventral striatum as a response to the expectation of receiving an alcoholic drink than those without a family history of alcoholism.