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National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Combined use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana in early adolescence can lead to substance dependence in early adulthood

Alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana are the substances American adolescents use the most. A recent study led by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism examined how adolescents’ substance use patterns are associated with substance use disorders in young adulthood. Their findings, published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence in March 2014, show that adolescents who drink alcohol and...

News Release

Dr. Edith Sullivan to deliver 18th Annual Mark Keller Honorary Lecture
For Release

What: The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces that Edith V. Sullivan, Ph.D., will deliver the 18 th annual Mark Keller Honorary Lecture. The title of her presentation is “Functional Compromise and Compensation in Alcoholism: Neuropsychology Meets Neuroimaging.” Who: Dr. Sullivan is professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at...

Announcement

About Edith Sullivan, Keller Award Honoree

Each year NIAAA presents the Mark Keller Award to an outstanding researcher who has made significant and long-term contributions to our understanding of how alcohol affects the body and mind, how we can prevent and treat alcohol use disorders, and how today's scientific advancements can provide hope for tomorrow. This year's Keller Award recipient and lecturer is Dr. Edith V...

Spring 2014 Meeting of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (ICCFASD)

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 5635 Fishers Lane, Terrace Level Conference Center, Rockville, Maryland 20852 Wednesday, April 2, 2014 AGENDA Time Session 8:30 a.m. Welcome, Introductions, and Comments Kenneth R. Warren, Ph.D., Deputy Director, NIAAA, NIH, ICCFASD Chairperson 8:40 a.m. Special Focus Panel: Women, Drinking and Pregnancy, FASD Prevention Efforts – Tipping Points, Pivotal Moments, and Future Direction...

Hepatitis C and alcohol exacerbate liver injury by suppression of FOXO3

The working hypothesis to explain the progression from mild (fatty liver) to more severe forms of alcoholic liver disease (e.g., fibrosis, cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma) has been that alcohol requires a secondary initiator or trigger for this progression, or that alcohol is secondary to some other initiating event. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been a strong candidate...

MicroRNA expression profile and functional analysis reveal that miR-382 is a critical novel gene of alcohol addiction

A recent NIAAA study determined the expression profile of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of rats treated with alcohol. MicroRNAs are non-coding RNA molecules thought to play a key role in and the regulation of gene expression. The study results suggest that multiple miRNAs were aberrantly expressed in rat NAc after alcohol injection. Among them, miR-382 was down-regulated...

Molecular mechanism underlying ethanol activation of G-protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium channels

Alcohol produces a wide range of pharmacological effects on the nervous system through its actions on ion channels. The molecular mechanism underlying ethanol modulation of ion channels is poorly understood. NIAAA scientists used a unique method of alcohol-tagging to demonstrate that alcohol activation of a G-protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK or Kir3) channel is mediated by a defined alcohol pocket...

Ibudilast reduces alcohol drinking in multiple animal models of alcohol dependence

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...

Advisory Council Agenda February 5, 2014

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM AGENDA 135th Meeting of the NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM February 5, 2014 Wednesday, 2:00-5:00 PM Wilson Hall, Building 1 National Institutes of Health Bethesda MD 20892 OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 2:00 CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTIONS Dr. George Koob...

Advisory Council Meeting Agenda June 5, 2014

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM AGENDA 136th Meeting of the NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM June 5, 2014 OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 9:00 CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTIONS Dr. George Koob 9:15 DIRECTOR'S REPORT Dr. George Koob 9:45 SMALL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY CONCEPT CLEARANCE Dr. Changhai...

News Release

Muscle weakness seen in alcoholism linked to mitochondrial repair issues
For Release

Muscle weakness from long-term alcoholism may stem from an inability of mitochondria, the powerhouses of cells, to self-repair, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. In research conducted with rats, scientists found evidence that chronic heavy alcohol use affects a gene involved in mitochondrial repair and muscle regeneration. “The finding gives insight into why chronic heavy...

Announcement

NIAAA Twitter Chat on Treatment Options for Alcohol Problems (Archived)

In recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month, NIAAA held a Twitter chat on treatment options for alcohol problems on April 29 at 3:00 p.m. ET, (#NIAAAchat), which was co-hosted by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (@NCADDnational).. Scientific Expert: Dan Falk, Ph.D., NIAAA Division of Treatment and Recovery Research Follow us at @NIAAAnews

Announcement

Bernice Porjesz, Ph.D., to Present Mendelson Lecture May 20

Bernice Porjesz, Ph.D., will present the Jack Mendelson, M.D., Honorary Lecture on May 20, 2014. The lecture is titled: “Neurophysiological Endophenotypes in the Search for Genes for Alcoholism.” The event will take place at the National Institutes of Health from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm, in Lipsett Amphitheater, NIH Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland. The lecture is free and open to...

News Release

Pretreatment Increases Liver Transplant Survival in Rats
For Release

Pretreating transplanted livers with the immune molecule interleukin-6 (IL-6) dramatically increased survival of rats receiving organs with fatty degeneration—a common condition in humans that typically reduces transplant viability. The results suggest a means of making it possible to use a higher percentage of available donor livers for transplantation in humans. With over three times as many Americans needing transplants as...

News Release

Alcohol Increases Hepatitis C Virus in Human Cells
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A team of NIH-supported researchers today report that alcohol increases replication of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in human cells and, by so doing, may contribute to the rapid course of HCV infection. The researchers tested the actions of alcohol in HCV replicon--viral HCV-ribonucleic acid or HCV-RNAs that, when introduced into human liver cell lines, replicate to high levels. In...

News Release

Mouse Study Identifies Protective Mechanism Against Alcohol-Induced Embryo Toxicity
For Release

Researchers have identified a mechanism by which the eight amino acid peptide NAP, an active fragment of a neuroprotective brain protein, protects against alcohol-induced embryo toxicity and growth retardation in mice. Their findings bring alcohol researchers a critical step closer to developing pharmacologic agents to prevent alcohol-induced fetal damage. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute...

News Release

Mark Goldman Named NIAAA Associate Director
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National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Director Ting-Kai Li, M.D., announced today that Mark S. Goldman, Ph.D., has joined NIAAA as an Associate Director. "I am delighted that Dr. Goldman has joined the NIAAA leadership," says Dr. Li. "He brings a wealth of research and clinical experience that will be invaluable at this exciting time of discovery in...

News Release

5th National Screening Day to Focus Americans on Alcohol and Health: NIAAA Analysis Suggests One-Third of Adults Are "Risky" Drinkers
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"Alcohol and your health – where do you draw the line?" is the question asked by the 2003 National Alcohol Screening Day (NASD), a program of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Screening for Mental Health (SMH), Inc., and their partners. On April 10, nearly 4000 sites across...

News Release

Alcohol Researchers Relate a Genetic Factor to Anxiety in Women
For Release

Researchers have identified a genetic factor that appears to influence anxiety in women. Combining DNA analysis, recordings of brain activity, and psychological tests, investigators at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) found that Caucasian and American Indian women with the same gene variant had similarly high scores on tests that measure anxiety. These women also had similar...

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