An article in today’s Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal (Chen, S; Wilkemeyer, M; Sulik, K; and Charness, M. Octanol antagonism of ethanol teratogenesis, FASEB J. 10.1096/fj00-08620fje and Volume 15, Number 9, July 2001) reports that the long-chain alcohol 1-octanol successfully blocks a mechanism leading to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Viewed as paradoxical because it is the...

Researchers at the University of Washington report in the May 15 Journal of Neuroscience (Volume 20, RC75) the first direct evidence in mice that protein kinase A (PKA) signaling regulates both alcohol-seeking behavior and sensitivity to some of the effects of alcohol intoxication. Given a choice between plain water and solutions containing alcohol, mice missing the RIIB subunit of PKA...

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM AGENDA 146th Meeting of the NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM Thursday, September 14, 2017 5635 Fishers Lane, Terrace Conference Rooms, Rockville MD 20852 10:00 AM - 3:15 PM: OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 10:00 CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTIONS Dr. George...

This article was first published in NIAAA Spectrum Volume 15, Issue 3. David Lovinger, Ph.D., has been selected as the Scientific Director for the Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Dr. Lovinger obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona and his Ph.D. in psychology from Northwestern University...

This article was first published in NIAAA Spectrum Volume 15, Issue 2. Decades of research have firmly established the importance of asking primary care patients about their alcohol use, providing brief advice about reducing alcohol misuse, and referring them to appropriate alcohol treatments, as necessary. Studies consistently find that these practices, known collectively as alcohol screening, brief intervention, and referral...

Some people experience the initial effects of alcohol as stimulating and euphoric, while others experience mostly unpleasant sedative effects. How individuals’ immediate responses to alcohol influence their future drinking behavior has been an active area of scientific research. One theory holds that people who have a low level of positive response to alcohol and who also are less sensitive to...

Results from a recent NIAAA study suggest that the medication ibudilast may be viable as a potential treatment for alcohol dependence. Ibudilast, an anti-inflammatory medication that acts as a non-selective phosphodiesterase inhibitor, reduces alcohol drinking and relapse in alcohol-preferring P rats, high-alcohol drinking HAD1 rats, and in mice made dependent on alcohol through cycles of alcohol vapor exposure. Neuroinflammatory signaling...

Each year, NIAAA issues journals and reports covering current a range of topics in alcohol research. These publications include: Alcohol Research: Current Reviews – NIAAA's peer-reviewed, scientific journal

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Doctors at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) seek healthy volunteers 21-65 years of age to participate in a study researching if alcohol dependence and early life stress affect the ability to learn to feel calm. All study-related tests and procedures are provided at no cost to you. Compensation may be provided. Study highlights include: 2 day, 1...

Everything you eat and drink while you are pregnant affects your baby. If you drink alcohol, it can hurt your baby’s growth. Your baby may have physical and behavioral problems that can last for the rest of his or her life. Children born with the most serious problems caused by alcohol have fetal alcohol syndrome.

Raye Z. Litten, Ph.D./ Acting Director, Division of Treatment and Recovery Acquisition Type/Actions The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) requests approval from the NIAAA Advisory Council to allow Kaiser Permanente of Northern California (KPNC) to submit a contract proposal in response to a sole-source request for proposal. This acquisition, for other than full and open competition, is...

Established in 1970, NIAAA today is the world’s largest funder of alcohol research—supporting innovative basic, translational, and clinical research to advance the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and alcohol-related problems. Today we know more about how alcohol affects the brain and body than ever before, thanks largely to the determined and uncompromising efforts of the talented...

Andras Orosz, Ph.D. with contributions from: Changhai Cui, Ph.D., I-Jen Castle, Ph.D., and Deidra Roach, M.D. Alcohol and Aging (R01, R21; New concept addressing a priority area of the 2017-2021 NIAAA Strategic Plan) Purpose The purpose of this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) is to promote research to improve our understanding of the effects of alcohol consumption on aging across...

Alcohol Epidemiologic Data Reference Manuals are statistical compendia of alcohol-related data useful to researchers and others interested in alcohol problems. PDF files are available for all the manuals; and machine-readable data files are available for manual volumes 1, 3, and 5 from the links provided below on this page. Hard copies are available for NIH Publication No. 02-4997 and manual...

Currently, there is no agreed upon definition of the term "recovery" within the alcohol treatment literature. The effectiveness of treatment programs is typically evaluated based primarily on assessment of alcohol consumption, or reduction in drinking frequency and problem severity, but several treatment modalities view abstinence from drinking as a requisite criterion for recovery. The recovery process also signifies numerous lifestyle...

September is a significant month for the alcohol field for two reasons: it’s the month dedicated to raising awareness about fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and to celebrating recovery from alcohol and other substance use disorders.

Summer is a wonderful time of year. The weather is great and school is out, so people take vacations and weekend road trips to the beach or lake, and spend time outdoors socializing with family and friends. However, along with summer comes more complications from drinking.

For some people, summer activities involve drinking alcoholic beverages, so play it safe during the summer and be mindful of your alcohol consumption

April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Alcohol has been very much in the news this year from discussions about the contribution of alcohol in causing cancer to mocktails to Dry January, all reflecting a changing conversation about alcohol. As a result, there is so much information about alcohol in the news and on social media that it can be hard to...