National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Download PDF (396 KB) If you've ever needed a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, you may have had a contrast dye injected to create a clearer image. While MRI technology has improved greatly since its introduction in 1977, contrast dyes and the images they help produce have remained the same. InLighta BioSciences, a company supported through the National Institute on...

Success Stories NIAAA’s small business awardees have used funding in many ways to launch and build their businesses, attract strategic partners and investors, and ultimately succeed in the commercial marketplace. Read their stories to learn how they did it . Webinars Promoting Development of Alcohol-Related Research Through NIAAA SBIR/STTR Funding Date: Tuesday, February 21, 2023 Time: 1:00 p.m. ET Speakers...

Company / Institution Story InLighta BioSciences A Protein-Based Diagnostic Seeds a New Business Venture

The Division of Metabolism and Health Effects (DMHE) develops scientific initiatives and supports basic and translational research on the health consequences of alcohol consumption and metabolism, with the goal of improving human health and well-being. The DMHE supports research on the health effects of alcohol that may result from a single dose, chronic or binge drinking behavior emphasizing metabolic pathways...

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)—part of the National Institutes of Health, the Nation’s medical research agency— funds research on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) with projects on preventing prenatal alcohol exposure, treating women with alcohol use disorder, improving the diagnosis of FASD, establishing more precise prevalence estimates of FASD in the United States, increasing our understanding...

The Healthcare Professional’s Core Resource on Alcohol consists of 14 concise, practical articles created to help you deliver evidence-based alcohol healthcare. If you’re wondering where to begin, the “roadmap” below can help. Roadmap for Applying the Core Resource Here, we sort the Core articles broadly into “how-to content” and “context for care” to show how they could be applied in...

Dry January is a time when people take a break from drinking and examine their relationship with alcohol. There are many potential reasons to take advantage of this time to examine your relationship with alcohol. It may be part of a New Year’s resolution to incorporate healthy behaviors into your routine. You may have overindulged during the holidays , and...

Monday, December 11, 2023, 1:30 pm EST to Monday, December 11, 2023, 3:00 pm EST

NIH is pleased to announce the availability of administrative supplements that recognize the essential role of effective mentorship in developing future researchers and building a diverse scientific workforce. Through the reissue of a Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) led by the Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity (COSWD) office , NIH will award up to $18 million in supplemental funding...

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

Some people who drink alcohol experience an unpleasant phenomenon called the alcohol flush reaction. The primary feature of the alcohol flush reaction is a red face—or flush—but it can also be accompanied by hives, nausea, low blood pressure, the worsening of asthma, or an episode of migraine. Of particular significance, the alcohol flush reaction is linked to a higher risk...

Wednesday, December 13, 2023, 12:00 pm EST to Wednesday, December 13, 2023, 1:00 pm EST

Webinar: Harnessing Technology and Social Media to Address Alcohol Misuse in Adolescents and Emerging Adults Underage drinking and alcohol misuse among emerging adults remain serious public health problems. According to the 2021 NSDUH, 15% of people ages 12 to 20 and 50% of people ages 18 to 25 drank alcohol in the past month. These data highlight the urgent need...

In the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), alcohol use disorder (AUD) and other substance use disorders are defined as psychiatric disorders. Many individuals who misuse alcohol also abuse other drugs, and vice-versa. Additionally, other psychiatric disorders often co-occur with AUD. This is referred to as co-morbidity. Over the past 30 years, several studies have shown that...

As adolescents mature, they undergo complex developmental changes, especially in their brains. The widespread changes in the organization and functioning of the brain—which continue into a person’s mid-20s—bring about the cognitive, emotional, and social skills necessary for adolescents to survive and thrive. The nature of these rapid changes may also increase the adolescent brain’s vulnerability to alcohol exposure. Patterns of...

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, is the primary U.S. agency for conducting and supporting research on the causes, consequences, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of alcohol use disorder. Each year, NIAAA submits its budget request to NIH. This request is incorporated into the full NIH budget request, which is sent...

El alcohol interfiere con las vías de comunicación del cerebro y puede afectar la forma en que este se ve y funciona. El alcohol hace que sea más difícil para las áreas del cerebro que controlan el equilibrio, la memoria, el habla y el juicio hacer su trabajo, lo que resulta en una mayor probabilidad de lesiones y otros resultados...

Celebrar en fiestas, animar a un equipo deportivo favorito y disfrutar de reuniones después del trabajo son formas comunes de relajarse o estar con amigos. Para algunas personas, estas ocasiones también pueden incluir el consumo de alcohol, y aún más, el consumo excesivo y peligroso o en altas cantidades de alcohol. Y cuando esto sucede, las consecuencias pueden ser mortales...

Para muchas personas, una noche de alcohol puede resultar en una mañana desagradable y los temibles efectos de una resaca. ¿Qué nos dice la ciencia sobre este fenómeno? ¿Qué factores causan los síntomas característicos de una resaca? Y la pregunta que quizás sea tan antigua como la resaca misma: ¿existe algún remedio real? ¿Qué es la resaca? La resaca se...

En mayo de 2013, la Asociación Estadounidense de Psiquiatría se publicó la quinta edición del Manual diagnóstico y estadístico de los trastornos mentales (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM–5). Aunque existe un solapamiento considerable entre el DSM–5 y el DSM–IV, la edición anterior, hay varias diferencias importantes: Cambios en la terminología de los trastornos El DSM–IV describió dos...

An alcohol overdose occurs when there is so much alcohol in the bloodstream that areas of the brain controlling basic life-support functions—such as breathing, heart rate, and temperature control—begin to shut down. Symptoms of alcohol overdose include mental confusion, difficulty remaining conscious, vomiting, seizure, trouble breathing, slow heart rate, clammy skin, dulled responses such as no gag reflex (which prevents choking), and extremely low body temperature. Alcohol overdose can lead to permanent brain damage or death.

In May 2013, the American Psychiatric Association issued the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5). Although there is considerable overlap between DSM–5 and DSM–IV, the prior edition, there are several important differences in disorder terminology, diagnostic thresholds, removal/adding criterion, and description revisions.