Jack Mendelson, M.D., Honorary Lecture Series
Scientists Shed New Light on Binge Drinking Pathway in Rat Brain
Episodes of heavy alcohol consumption leading to intoxication are associated with many health and safety problems, including unintentional injuries, sexual assault, domestic violence and alcohol poisoning. Previous studies have shown that brain molecules called GABAA receptors appear to play a role in excessive drinking. In a new study, researchers used an established rat model of binge drinking to investigate how...
ICCFASD Spring 2016 Public Meeting Agenda
MEETING OF THE INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDERS National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 5635 Fishers Lane, Terrace Level Conference Center, Rockville, Maryland 20852 Thursday, April 14, 2016 AGENDA Videocast: https://videocast.nih.gov/summary.asp?live=18890&bhcp=1 8:30 A.M. Welcome, Introductions, and Comments Kenneth R. Warren, Ph.D., Senior Advisor, NIAAA, NIH; ICCFASD Chairperson 8:40 A.M. Overview of ICCFASD Mission and Goals Marcia...
40th Anniversary Symposium
This year marks a major milestone for NIAAA—40 years of supporting alcohol-related research and working to improve public health. NIAAA will commemorate this landmark event by hosting a special 40th Anniversary Symposium. Join us as we review the current state of alcohol research and explore the future of the field. NIAAA 40th Anniversary Symposium AGENDA Time Topic Speaker 9:00 -...
NIH Radio Interview with Dr. Mark Willenbring on Updated Clinician's Guide
Updated Guide Offers Clinicians New Tools to Help Patients with Alcohol Problems The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has updated a guide that provides tools that can be used by clinicians to help patients with alcohol problems. - Listen to Dr. Mark Willenbring's NIH radio interview on the Updated Clinician's Guide . - Read the Transcript.
RSA Honors CPN Chief Lorenzo Leggio
ICCFASD Spring 2016 Public Meeting April 14
Chronic Drinking May Alter Brain to Increase PTSD Risk
Research suggests that chronic alcohol use may increase the risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by altering the brain’s ability to recover from a traumatic experience. While alcoholism is often linked with PTSD, few studies have explored how chronic drinking may subsequently make a person more prone to such anxiety disorders. In a new study, researchers at the NIAAA observed...
Monitoring the Future Study: Teen substance use shows promising decline
The 2016 Monitoring the Future (MTF) annual survey results released today from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reflect changing teen behaviors and choices in a social media-infused world. The results show a continued long-term decline in the use of many illicit substances, including marijuana, as well as alcohol, tobacco, and misuse of some prescription medications, among the nation’s teens...
Office of the Scientific Director
Biography of Dr. Kenneth Kendler
Dr. Kenneth Kendler is a world-renowned expert on the genetics of psychiatric and substance abuse disorders. Fueled by a lifelong interest in how the human mind works, Dr. Kendler pursues research on how genes and the environment contribute to the development of alcohol use disorders, as well as other psychiatric problems. His research has transformed how we understand the relationships...
The Integrative Neuroscience Initiative on Alcoholism (INIA)
The Shadow Project
ICCFASD Annual Public Meeting
The 2020 ICCFASD Annual Public Meeting will be held on March 9, 2020 at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 6700B Rockledge Drive, First Floor Conference Center, Bethesda, Maryland 20817. On-site guest parking will be available. If you can’t come to the meeting in-person, the meeting will be available live and archived at NIH VideoCasting The Interagency Coordinating...
NIAAA Spectrum: Anxiety and Depression Predict Relapse in AUD Patients with Chronic Pain
Interventions to reduce anxiety and depression may help prevent relapse in individuals with chronic pain who are recovering from alcohol use disorder (AUD). This conclusion comes from a recent study in which investigators reanalyzed data collected from people with chronic pain who participated in one of two major clinical trials on alcohol treatment, one in the United States and one...
Meta-analysis supports AA as treatment for AUD
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is as effective as established behavioral treatments for some people with alcohol use disorder (AUD), according to an extensive review of NIAAA-supported research and other studies. As reported March 11 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Review, researchers used a meta-analysis to show that AA and other 12-step facilitation interventions are effective in helping individuals with AUD...
New Findings Implicate Endocannabinoid System in FASD Development
A new study provides evidence that endocannabinoids, natural compounds that are chemically similar to the active ingredient in marijuana, play a role in the development of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Researchers led by Balapal S. Basavarajappa (aka: Basavaraj S. Balapal), Ph.D., of the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research and New York State Psychiatric Institute, investigated the effect of...
NIH releases comprehensive resource to help address college drinking
Adolescent Brains Show Reduced Reward Anticipation
Adolescents show less activity than adults in brain regions that motivate behavior to obtain rewards, according to results from the first magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study to examine real-time adolescent response to incentives. The study also shows that adolescents and adults exhibit similar brain responses to having obtained rewards. Researchers in the Laboratory of Clinical Studies of the National Institute...
Prevalence of Marijuana Use Among U.S. Adults Doubles Over Past Decade
Surveys show 9.5 percent of Americans use marijuana; 30 percent of users meet criteria for a disorder The percentage of Americans who reported using marijuana in the past year more than doubled between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013, and the increase in marijuana use disorder during that time was nearly as large. Past year marijuana use rose from 4.1 percent to 9.5...