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AUD

·April 13, 2026·9 min read

Brain’s Emotion Center Redefines Hazardous Drinking

A reactive amygdala predicts heavy drinking in young men via depressive symptoms, but actually protects young women by fostering "threat avoidance."

This shows the outline of a stressed person and a brain.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 31, 2026·9 min read

Direct Link Between Stress and Addiction Found

Researchers discovered a brain pathway linking stress centers directly to habit regions. While stress normally promotes flexibility, alcohol disrupts this circuit, explaining why stress leads to compulsive drinking and relapse.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·March 30, 2026·6 min read

Metabolites “Rewrite” Brain Genes in Addiction

Researchers found that alcohol metabolites directly regulate gene expression in the brain. The ventral hippocampus is especially sensitive to these epigenetic changes, providing a new molecular target for treating alcohol use disorder.

This shows a crowd of people and one person with a thought bubble and a bottle inside it.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 2, 2026·6 min read

Why Socializing Loses to Alcohol in Addiction

New research reveals that activity in the anterior insula primes the brain to choose alcohol over social interaction, offering a new target for addiction treatment.

This shows a brain in a wine glass with a syringe above it. Behind is a strand of DNA.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 21, 2026·7 min read

Mounjaro’s Active Ingredient Slashes Alcohol Intake

From weight loss to sobriety. New research reveals how the active ingredient in Mounjaro "mutes" the brain's reward system to slash alcohol cravings.

This shows a person holding a joint and a glass of scotch.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 19, 2025·7 min read

Cannabis Blunts Alcohol Cravings

A randomized, placebo-controlled trial shows that cannabis with active THC reduces immediate alcohol cravings and lowers drinking levels in heavy-drinking young adults. After smoking THC, participants not only drank less, they waited longer before taking the first sip and reported lower urges to drink.

This shows a man holding a wine glass against a psychedelic backdrop.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 10, 2025·4 min read

Psychedelics Calm Stress Circuits to Reduce Alcohol Drinking

New research shows that psilocin, the active metabolite of the psychedelic psilocybin, may reduce alcohol consumption by calming stress-sensitive neurons in the central amygdala. In female mice exposed to long-term alcohol use, psilocin dampened the hyperactivity of these neurons, temporarily reducing drinking.

This shows a man and a glass of whiskey.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·October 28, 2025·4 min read

Gene That Controls How Sensitive You Are to Alcohol Discovered

Researchers have discovered that a gene called CHRNA3 plays a key role in determining alcohol sensitivity, helping explain why some people tolerate alcohol better than others. When this gene was mutated, subjects were slower to avoid alcohol and consumed more of it, showing reduced sensitivity to its calming effects.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 16, 2025·6 min read

Gut Fungus Found to Disrupt Brain’s Alcohol Reward Pathway

A new study reveals that an overgrowth of Candida albicans, a common gut fungus, may alter the brain’s dopamine reward circuitry and influence alcohol consumption. Researchers found that as fungal populations increased, they triggered production of inflammatory molecules called PGE2, which crossed into the brain and changed dopamine signaling in the dorsal striatum.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 30, 2025·6 min read

Targeting the Cerebellum Could Ease Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms

Researchers have identified the cerebellum as a promising target for easing alcohol withdrawal, the stage of alcohol use disorder that drives many people back to drinking. In mice, withdrawal symptoms were alleviated by calming overactive cerebellar neurons, either through genetic tools or a synthetic compound.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 12, 2025·6 min read

Stress Relief Brain Circuit May Drive Alcohol Relapse

A new study highlights how the brain learns to keep alcohol addiction going, not for pleasure but to escape withdrawal stress.

This shows a brain with a neutral network spreading from the PFC. A drink glass is behind the brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 16, 2025·5 min read

Boosting Prefrontal Dopamine Shows Promise in Cutting Alcohol Use

A new study reveals that tolcapone, a dopamine-enhancing drug, strengthens brain circuits involved in self-control while reducing alcohol intake in people with alcohol use disorder (AUD). The drug boosts activity in the inferior frontal gyrus, part of the prefrontal cortex, which supports inhibitory control.