National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Wed, 06/22/2016 - 12:00

Wed, 06/22/2016 - 12:00

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...

Fri, 05/27/2011 - 12:00

Fri, 05/27/2011 - 12:00

Recent research suggests that receptors for the neurotransmitter GABA(A) that lie outside of the synapse and which contain a molecular fragment known as a delta-subunit are sensitive to alcohol, raising the possibility that these receptors might help produce alcohol’s reinforcing effects after consuming one or a few drinks. In the current study, researchers tested the hypothesis that these extrasynaptic GABA(A)...

Thu, 04/11/2013 - 12:00

Thu, 04/11/2013 - 12:00

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...

NIAAA DICBR Fellow's Committee In an effort to enrich training and mentoring of DICBR fellows, a Fellow's Committee was established within the Division in September 1999. The Committee's objective is to champion practices that will heighten the fellowship experience for all DICBR-sponsored trainees. Related sites FelCom - NIH Fellows Committee The NIH Fellows Committee consists of representatives from each institute...

November 17, 2016

“How we respond to this crisis is a test for America” A new Surgeon General’s report finds alcohol and drug misuse and severe substance use disorders, commonly called addiction, to be one of America’s most pressing public health concerns. Nearly 21 million Americans – more than the number of people who have all cancers combined – suffer from substance use...

Joe Wang, Ph.D., DMHE Purpose Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are a spectrum of lifelong, debilitating health deficits, affecting roughly 2-5% of all school-aged children in the US. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), the most serious form of FASD, is a developmental disorder characterized by craniofacial abnormalities, growth retardation, and nervous system dysfunction that may include mental retardation. Other FASD categories...

Chuck Chen , Post-doctoral Researcher Chuck completed his doctoral degree from the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto in Canada. His doctoral research focused on investigating the metabolic differences that attributes to the unique omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) composition in brain phospholipid membrane. Brain phospholipid membrane is highly enriched in n-3 PUFA; however, it is...

May 12, 2020

While hand sanitizers containing 60-95% ethyl alcohol can help destroy the coronavirus on surfaces, drinking alcohol—including beverages with high percentages of alcohol—offers no protection from the virus. The concentration of alcohol in the blood after one standard drink is in the range of 0.01–0.03% (a blood alcohol level of 0.01–0.03 gm%), which is a tiny fraction of the concentration needed...

December 16, 2015

Alcohol biosensor research part of NIH's "bold vision" to advance biomedical opportunities The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today released the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan, Fiscal Years 2016–2020: Turning Discovery Into Health , which will ensure the agency remains well positioned to capitalize on new opportunities for scientific exploration and address new challenges for human health. Developed after hearing from hundreds...

July 3, 2014

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued the folllowing notice: "Request for Information (RFI): National Longitudinal Study of Neurodevelopmental Consequences of Substance Use." Notice Number: NOT-DA-14-014 Key Dates Release Date: July 2, 2014 Response Date: August 31, 2014 From the Notice: The NIH is exploring optimal ways to configure a large longitudinal cohort study to prospectively examine the effects...

February 20, 2019

NIAAA Spectrum is the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's (NIAAA) triannual webzine. With engaging feature articles, short news updates, and colorful graphics, NIAAA Spectrum offers accessible and relevant information on NIAAA and the alcohol research field. The latest issue is now available . In This Issue Advances in Understanding and Addressing Underage Drinking Combating underage drinking is a...

Wenxing Zha, Ph.D.; Abbas Parsian, Ph.D. Reissuance of PA-17-467(R01), PA-17-468(R03) Purpose The purpose of this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) is to solicit applications to support the secondary analyses of existing data sets with the goal of enhancing our understanding of the following: 1) the patterns and trajectories of alcohol consumption, and 2) the epidemiology and etiology, including genetics, of...

November 30, 2016

Scientists from around the country will share latest results and discuss widespread implications of the BRAIN Initiative What: The NIH will host a meeting of nearly 1000 people who are part of the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, a large-scale public and private effort to develop new tools and technologies to understand the healthy and diseased brain...

Thu, 07/25/2013 - 12:00

Thu, 07/25/2013 - 12:00

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...

October 1, 2015

The National Institutes of Health announced its second wave of grants to support the goals of the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative , bringing the NIH investment to $85 million in fiscal year 2015. Sixty-seven new awards, totaling more than $38 million, will go to 131 investigators working at 125 institutions in the United States and eight...

General Alcohol Policy A combination of Federal, State, and local laws help shape the role alcohol plays in the United States, including how we: Manufacture alcohol Sell alcohol Decide who can drink alcohol Respond to alcohol-related problems The primary Federal law governing alcohol policy is the 21st Amendment, which repealed national prohibition. It also gives individual States control over: Whether...

Mon, 03/19/2018 - 12:00

Mon, 03/19/2018 - 12:00

What: Roughly a third of recent high school graduates have ridden in a motor vehicle with a substance-impaired driver, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions. The study found that during the first two years after high school graduation, 23 percent of young adults had ridden with a marijuana-impaired driver at least...

March 7, 2016

To streamline elements of its clinical trials program, the NIAAA Clinical Investigations Group (NCIG) recently turned to a technological innovation called Take Control. A sophisticated computer-based alcohol intervention, Take Control proved effective in a number of pilot tests with NCIG’s drug development trials. Take Control was co-developed by Megan Ryan, Clinical Program Director/Technology Development Coordinator for NIAAA’s Division of Medications...

Mon, 02/13/2017 - 12:00

Mon, 02/13/2017 - 12:00

Liver fibrosis is a consequence of chronic liver injury associated with alcoholic or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, viral hepatitis, or metabolic diseases, and can lead to cirrhosis and even cancer. While there are no effective treatments for liver fibrosis, previous research has shown that compounds that block receptors for molecules similar to those found in the marijuana plant (endocannabinoids) can...

July 13, 2016

The NIAAA-sponsored National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions–III (NESARC–III), conducted from 2012 to 2013, is the newest wave of the largest study ever conducted on alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use and disorders; related risk factors; and associated physical and mental disabilities. With data on more than 36,000 U.S. adults, NESARC–III promises to be a primary source of...