The brains of alcohol-dependent individuals are affected not only by their own heavy drinking, but also by genetic or environmental factors associated with their parents’ drinking, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Researchers found reduced brain growth among alcohol-dependent individuals with...

The Division of Neuroscience and Behavior (DNB) promotes research on ways in which neuronal and behavioral systems are influenced by genetic, developmental, and environmental factors in conjunction with alcohol exposure to engender alcohol use disorder.

NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM Summary of the 119th Meeting September 17–18, 2008 The National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism convened for its 119th meeting at 5:30 p.m. on September 17, 2008, at the Fishers Lane Conference Center in Rockville, Maryland , in a closed session. Dr. Abraham Bautista presided over the closed review of...

The Research Society on Alcoholism has selected NIAAA deputy director Dr. Kenneth R. Warren to receive the RSA Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes a person with a long, balanced career whose contributions to alcohol research, training, service and advocacy have had a lasting impact on the field. Warren is a distinguished scientific administrator and a foremost expert on the...

NIH-funded study says five-marker genotype panel can guide ondansetron use An experimental treatment for alcohol dependence works better in individuals who possess specific combinations of genes that regulate the function and binding of serotonin, a brain chemical affected by the treatment, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health. A report of the finding appears online in...

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism welcomes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announcement of an indication for use of the pharmacologic agent naltrexone (REVIA tm) as a safe and effective adjunct to psychosocial treatments for alcoholism. Naltrexone offers new hope for preventing relapse in many of the more than 1 million Americans treated each year for the...

Penny S. Mills, executive vice president and CEO of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), received the Senator Harold Hughes Memorial Award today from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), one of the National Institutes of Health. NIAAA Director George F. Koob, Ph.D., announced the Institute’s selection during the 146th meeting of the National Advisory Council...

Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research Strategic Planning Document National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research (DEPR) Strategic Planning Document View the DEPR Strategic Plan

The consequences of college drinking are larger and more destructive than commonly realized, according to a new study supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Commissioned by the NIAAA Task Force on College Drinking, the study reveals that drinking by college students age 18-24 contributes to an estimated 1,400 student deaths, 500,000 injuries, and 70,000 cases...

Findings from the largest survey ever mounted on the co-occurrence of psychiatric disorders among U.S. adults afford a sharper picture than previously available of major depressive disorder* (MDD) in specific population subgroups and of MDD’s relationship to alcohol use disorders (AUDs) ** and other mental health conditions. The new analysis of data from the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol...

Marianne “Mimi” Fleury, president and co-founder of the Community of Concern of North Bethesda, Md., today received the Senator Harold Hughes Memorial Award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health. NIAAA Acting Director Kenneth R. Warren, Ph.D., announced her selection during the 132nd meeting of the National Advisory Council on...

Geoffrey K. Mumford, Ph.D., Associate Executive Director for Government Relations in the Science Directorate of the American Psychological Association (APA), received the Senator Harold Hughes Memorial Award today from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health. NIAAA Director George F. Koob, Ph.D., announced the Institute’s selection during the 151st meeting of...

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s leadership and staff support and promote the mission of the Institute every day. Learn more about our leadership and organization: Leadership Director’s Page Organization Offices and Divisions Organizational Chart

On May 11th, NIAAA will virtually host the 157th Meeting of the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The event is open to the public. The full agenda and webcast link are available now.

A study reported in the November 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (Volume 284, Number 18) shows that communities that undertake comprehensive prevention strategies can effectively reduce alcohol-related traffic crashes and injuries from crashes and assaults. Relative to matched comparison sites, intervention communities (two in California and one in South Carolina) experienced marked reductions in alcohol-related...

NIH-funded study provides hope for better disease prediction. What: An international team of scientists supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the NIH, has identified a novel association between the gene FAF2 and a reduced risk for alcohol-associated liver cirrhosis (ALC) in people who drink heavily. Also confirmed by the study were four additional...

The NIH Institute on Alcohol and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) has issued a national challenge to design a wearable or discreet device to measure blood alcohol levels. Tonight’s discussion examines the history and current research on alcohol consumption and the promise of new technology. First used by the criminal justice system to enforce drunk driving laws, alcohol monitoring technology now has...

Early Childhood Neurobehavioral Assessment for the Differential Diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Alcohol-Related Neurological Disorders (March 8-10, 2000) Intervening With Children Affected by Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (September 10-11, 1998) Prevention of Risk Drinking in Pregnancy (April 23-24, 1998)

Steven Vogel, Ph.D., Acting Chief National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism National Institutes of Health 5625 Fishers Lane, Room TS-11A:MSC 9411 Bethesda MD 20892-9413 telephone: +1 301.443.2807 fax: +1 301.480.0466 e-mail: [email protected] The goals of the Laboratory are to explore molecular mechanisms contributing to synaptic transmission and neuronal excitability at the molecular, cellular and organismic level. An emphasis is...

This article was first published in NIAAA Spectrum Volume 15, Issue 1. First Alcohol misuse can lead to alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH), a form of liver disease with a high short-term mortality rate in severe cases. Currently, no medications have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat AH, and liver transplantation is often required due to liver...