National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 5635 Fishers Lane, Terrace Level Conference Center, Rockville, Maryland 20852 Thursday, April 4, 2013 Draft AGENDA 8:30 a.m. Welcome, Introductions, and Comments Kenneth R. Warren, Ph.D., Acting Director, NIAAA, NIH, ICCFASD Chairperson 8:40 a.m. Panel Discussion on Diagnosing Infants and Young Children Lynne M. Haverkos, M.D., M.P.H., NICHD, NIH, moderator Clair D. Coles...

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...

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM AGENDA 133th Meeting of the NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM June 13, 2013 OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 9:00 CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTIONS Dr. Kenneth Warren 9:15 DIRECTOR'S REPORT Dr. Kenneth Warren 9:45 CONTRACT OPPORTUNITIES CONCEPT REVIEW POLICIES, PROCEDURES AND...

Distinct patterns of brain activity are linked to greater rates of relapse among alcohol dependent patients in early recovery, a study has found. The research, supported by the National Institutes of Health, may give clues about which people in recovery from alcoholism are most likely to return to drinking. “Reducing the high rate of relapse among people treated for alcohol...

On May 21, 2013, Dr. Bankole Johnson delivered the 5th Annual Jack Mendelson Honorary Lecture. What: The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, announces that Bankole Johnson, D.Sc., M.D., Ph.D., will deliver the 5th Annual Jack Mendelson Honorary Lecture. Dr. Johnson is a world-famous pioneer in the development of medications to...

NIH researchers seek to expand treatment options A smoking-cessation medication may be a viable option for the treatment of alcohol dependence, according to a study by scientists at the National Institutes of Health. The study found that varenicline (marketed under the name Chantix), approved in 2006 to help people stop smoking, significantly reduced alcohol consumption and craving among people who...

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Finding has implications for alcoholism and other patterns of addictive behavior Research from the National Institutes of Health has identified neural circuits in mice that are involved in the ability to learn and alter behaviors. The findings help to explain the brain processes that govern choice and the ability to adapt behavior based on the end results. Researchers think this...

November 8, 2013, 8:30am – 5:30 pm Room 24, San Diego Convention Center 8:30 am - Welcome / Opening Remarks Kenneth Warren, Ph.D. Acting Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Antonio Noronha, Ph.D., Director, Division of Neuroscience and Behavior, NIAAA 8:40 am - Overview on brain pathways to recovery from alcohol dependence Changhai Cui, Ph.D., Program Director, Division...

Computerized image analysis can be a useful tool for detecting the sometimes subtle changes in facial features that occur when children are exposed to alcohol before birth, according to a recent study conducted through the NIAAA-funded Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD). As reported in the journal Pediatrics, the study suggests that three-dimensional (3-D) imaging could soon help...

New research supported by NIAAA suggests that a drug currently used to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs could someday help lessen the alcohol cravings that often lead to relapse among people with drinking problems. Alcohol-related memories, or cues—such as the smell of alcohol—can trigger cue-induced alcohol craving. Previous research has found that the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1...

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...

Recent research from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) sheds new light on habitual behaviors, specifically the circuits in the brain that allow mice to break from routine actions. Such shifting between old habits and new behavior aimed at accomplishing a particular goal are critical to flexible decision-making in everyday life. It also has important implications for...

NIH scientists identify possible treatment target for type 2 diabetes Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have clarified in rodent and test tube experiments the role that inflammation plays in type 2 diabetes, and revealed a possible molecular target for treating the disease. The researchers say some natural messenger chemicals in the body are involved in an inflammatory chain...

Chronic alcohol exposure leads to brain adaptations that shift behavior control away from an area of the brain involved in complex decision-making and toward a region associated with habit formation, according to a new study conducted in mice by scientists at the National Institutes of Health. The finding provides a biological mechanism that helps to explain compulsive alcohol use and...