Alcohol is involved in nearly half of all liver disease deaths in the United States each year. Alcohol-associated liver disease (AALD) now replaces hepatitis C viral infection as the lead cause of liver transplantation due to chronic liver disease. Consequently, there is an urgent need for effective interventions for AALD, a complex disease with multiple … Read more
Prenatal supplements with the nutrient choline may help protect against alcohol-related deficits in children born to women who drink alcohol during pregnancy, according to a small clinical trial supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The new findings were reported in the July 2018 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Choline … Read more
A new study has found that alcohol use during pregnancy can affect a woman’s immune system in ways that may predict her child’s neurodevelopmental outcome. Specific changes in a mother’s immune system can also serve as an indicator of prenatal alcohol use. Prenatal alcohol use can cause an array of health effects in offspring, collectively … Read more
A study done in conjunction with the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD), which is supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, reports that disruptions in levels of certain immune system molecules during pregnancy can alter the risk for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). The effects of alcohol consumption on the … Read more
Previous research has shown that people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) have more difficulty with working memory (WM) tasks and in planning for the future, compared with people without AUD. Individuals with AUD also overvalue immediate rewards, such as consuming an alcoholic drink offered to them, and devalue potentially larger future rewards, such as better … Read more
Numerous evidence-based behavioral interventions for alcohol use disorder (AUD) are available, including cognitive behavioral therapy, couples therapy, 12-step facilitation, and motivational interviewing. A current focus of research on behavioral interventions for AUD is identifying the processes through which evidence-based interventions work. Known as mechanisms of behavior change (MOBCs), such as increased readiness to change, increased … Read more