Newswise Curated News Channel: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcohoasm (NIAAA)

A 'factory reset' for the brain cures anxiety, drinking behavior

University of Illinois Chicago — Wed, 04 May 2022 15:35:53 EST

Gene editing may be a potential treatment for anxiety and alcohol use disorder in adults who were exposed to binge drinking in their adolescence, according to the results of an animal study published in the journal Science Advances. The researchers used a gene-editing tool called CRISPR-dCas9 in their experiments to manipulate the histone acetylation and methylation processes at the Arc gene in models of adult rats.

Social support reduces genetic risk factors that can lead to alcohol use problems

Arizona State University (ASU) — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 13:55:02 EST

A new study from the Arizona State University Department of Psychology shows that the combination of genetic predisposition to alcohol use disorders and personality type can lead to problematic drinking behaviors. Having strong social support from friends was identified as protective against excessive drinking. The work was published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology.

Racial Discrimination Linked to Drinking Through Mental Health in Black College Students

Arizona State University (ASU) — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 13:10:56 EST

A new study from Arizona State University and Virginia Commonwealth University examined the pathways that contribute to and protect against alcohol use problems in Black American college students. Racial discrimination led to depressive symptoms and to problem alcohol consumption. Positive feelings about being a Black American were associated with a weaker link between discrimination, mental health and alcohol use. The study was published in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.

Alcohol problems severely undertreated

Washington University in St. Louis — Mon, 17 May 2021 14:00:48 EST

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that although the vast majority of people with alcohol use disorder see their doctors regularly for a range of issues, fewer than one in 10 ever get treatment to help curb their drinking.

Liquor during lockdown: 1 in 6 parents allowed teens to drink during quarantine

University of Notre Dame — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 05:05:35 EST

The overwhelmed pandemic parent has become a ubiquitous symbol of the stress and despair many have felt since COVID-19 spread widely.

Opioid overdose reduced in patients taking buprenorphine

Washington University in St. Louis — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 00:05:00 EST

The drug buprenorphine is an effective treatment for opioid use disorder, but many who misuse opioids also take benzodiazepines -- drugs that treat anxiety and similar conditions. Many treatment centers hesitate to treat patients addicted to opioids who also take benzodiazepines. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis studied overdose risk in people taking buprenorphine and found that the drug lowered risk, even in people taking benzodiazepines.

UIC to study how adolescent binge drinking impacts adult behavior

University of Illinois Chicago — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 14:50:40 EST

The University of Illinois Chicago has received $4.5 million in continuation funding from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to support the UIC site of the national Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood, or NADIA, consortium.

Your In-laws' History of Drinking Problems Could Lead to Alcohol Issues of Your Own

Association for Psychological Science — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 16:05:53 EST

A study of more than 300,000 couples in Sweden finds marriage to a spouse who grew up exposed to parental alcohol misuse increases a person's likelihood of developing a drinking problem.

Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics at UIC receives $8M from NIH

University of Illinois Chicago — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 16:25:13 EST

The University of Illinois at Chicago received $8.2 million from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to continue the Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics and its research on how alcohol affects genes through epigenetics -- chemical changes to DNA, RNA or proteins that alter the expression of genes without directly modifying them.

Hangover drug shows wider benefits in USC research

University of Southern California (USC) — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 16:25:10 EST

A well-known hangover drug not only helps soothe pounding headaches but also triggers profound changes that protect the liver, USC scientists report in new findings that could help prevent alcohol-related harm.

Just as Tobacco Advertising Causes Teen Smoking, Exposure to Alcohol Ads Causes Teens to Drink

New York University — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 01:00:00 EST

Exposure to alcohol advertising changes teens' attitudes about alcohol and can cause them to start drinking, finds a new analysis led by NYU School of Global Public Health and NYU Grossman School of Medicine. The study, which appears in a special supplement of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, uses a framework developed to show causality between tobacco advertising and youth smoking and applies it to alcohol advertising.

Single Dose of Ketamine Plus Talk Therapy May Reduce Alcohol Use

Columbia University Irving Medical Center — Wed, 04 Dec 2019 12:20:11 EST

A single infusion of ketamine plus behavioral therapy helped alcohol-dependent individuals reduce their drinking, a new study finds.