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AUD

·May 4, 2025·12 min read

Why Alcohol Hits Women Harder

Alcohol use among women has surged to match men’s rates, but women face far greater health risks even at lower consumption levels. A growing body of research is uncovering key neurobiological sex differences that influence why and how women drink, with stress being a more prominent motivator for women.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 28, 2025·9 min read

Tiny Brain Structure Reveals New Paths to Treat Addiction, Depression

New research spotlights the habenula, a tiny but powerful brain region, as a key player in addiction, motivation, and emotional regulation. Studies show that the habenula’s circuitry influences how the brain processes rewards, disappointment, and drug cravings, offering potential drug targets like the GPR151 receptor.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 23, 2025·6 min read

Gut Microbiome Shifts Rapidly After Alcohol Use

A new study shows that combining heavy alcohol use with burn trauma causes severe disruptions in the gut microbiome, leading to inflammation and a weakened gut barrier. Within a day of injury, beneficial bacteria plummet, harmful microbes rise, and levels of butyrate—a key anti-inflammatory compound—drop significantly.

This shows a teen with a drink and brains.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 11, 2025·4 min read

Using Cannabis While Drinking May Lead to Riskier Behavior

Young adults often use alcohol and cannabis together, a behavior that may dull the perceived negative effects of drinking and increase the risk of alcohol-related harm. A recent study found that simultaneous use can reduce users’ awareness of alcohol’s effects, potentially leading to alcohol use disorder and dangerous behaviors like drunk driving.

This shows two heads, brains and a glass.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 10, 2025·3 min read

Heavy Drinking Linked to Brain Lesions and Cognitive Decline Risk

Consuming eight or more alcoholic drinks per week is associated with brain lesions known as hyaline arteriolosclerosis, which can impair memory and thinking. These lesions are signs of damaged blood vessels that restrict blood flow and gradually harm brain tissue.

This shows a man drinking and a brain in a glass.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 2, 2025·5 min read

Heavy Alcohol Use Causes Long-Term Brain Damage

For the first time, scientists have shown how heavy alcohol use leads to long-term cognitive impairments by damaging brain circuits responsible for decision-making. In a rat model, animals exposed to high alcohol levels performed significantly worse on a complex, shifting-reward task, even after nearly three months of sobriety.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 12, 2025·7 min read

Semaglutide Shows Promise in Reducing Alcohol Cravings and Consumption

A new study suggests that semaglutide, a drug commonly used for diabetes and obesity, may also help reduce alcohol consumption. Researchers found that weekly injections of semaglutide decreased alcohol cravings, drinking quantity, and heavy drinking days in adults with alcohol use disorder. Participants receiving semaglutide consumed less alcohol in a controlled lab setting and reported reduced cravings compared to those receiving a placebo.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 20, 2024·4 min read

How Alcohol Impairs the Brain’s Ability to Adapt and Learn

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) disrupts cognitive flexibility, crucial for learning and adapting to change. New research reveals that chronic alcohol exposure alters the firing patterns of cholinergic interneurons (CINs), key neurons in the brain’s striatum that regulate dopamine and influence reward-driven learning.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 2, 2024·5 min read

How Alcohol Increases Pain Tolerance, and Aggression

Alcohol not only raises pain tolerance but also amplifies aggression, according to a new study. Researchers found that participants who drank alcohol had higher pain thresholds and were more willing to inflict painful shocks on others.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 27, 2024·4 min read

Does Alcohol Consumption Contribute to Hair Loss?

A systematic review and meta-analysis explored whether alcohol consumption influences androgenetic alopecia (AGA), the most common form of hair loss. The study found a modest association between drinking and AGA, with drinkers 1.4 times more likely to experience AGA than non-drinkers, though the link was not statistically significant.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 27, 2024·4 min read

Finger Lengths May Reveal Insights Into Drinking Habits

The relative lengths of your fingers might be linked to your alcohol consumption patterns. Researchers found that individuals with longer 4th (ring) fingers relative to 2nd (index) fingers, indicating high prenatal testosterone exposure, are more likely to consume alcohol.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 14, 2024·3 min read

Beer Drinkers Have Poorer Diets, Lower Activity Levels

Beer-only drinkers have the lowest diet quality, highest caloric intake, and lowest physical activity levels compared to those who drink wine, liquor, or a combination. Researchers analyzed over 1,900 U.S. adults and found beer drinkers scored lowest on the Healthy Eating Index, while wine drinkers scored highest.

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AUD

Why Alcohol Hits Women Harder

Tiny Brain Structure Reveals New Paths to Treat Addiction, Depression

Gut Microbiome Shifts Rapidly After Alcohol Use

Using Cannabis While Drinking May Lead to Riskier Behavior

Heavy Drinking Linked to Brain Lesions and Cognitive Decline Risk

Heavy Alcohol Use Causes Long-Term Brain Damage

Semaglutide Shows Promise in Reducing Alcohol Cravings and Consumption

How Alcohol Impairs the Brain’s Ability to Adapt and Learn

How Alcohol Increases Pain Tolerance, and Aggression

Does Alcohol Consumption Contribute to Hair Loss?

Finger Lengths May Reveal Insights Into Drinking Habits

Beer Drinkers Have Poorer Diets, Lower Activity Levels

What Triggers Tantrums? Sensory Overload May Be To Blame

Brain Circuit That Forces Behavior Into “Repeat Mode” Identified

Genetics Plus Heart Health Markers Sharpen Dementia Risk

Supplement Shows Promise in Blocking Amyloid in Alzheimer’s

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