New preclinical research in rats has identified a link between adolescent alcohol exposure and specific molecular changes in the brain that contribute to increased anxiety in adulthood. A large body of evidence demonstrates a strong relationship between alcohol and anxiety problems in humans. “These findings provide insight into the mechanisms through which alcohol-induced brain changes … Read more
Assessing the patterns of energy use and neuronal activity simultaneously in the human brain improves our understanding of how alcohol affects the brain, according to new research by scientists at the National Institutes of Health. The new approach for characterizing brain energetic patterns could also be useful for studying other neuropsychiatric diseases. A report of … Read more
Breakthroughs in neuroscience have firmly established our understanding of alcohol use disorder (AUD) as a chronic brain disease. But when it comes to the adverse health effects of alcohol, the brain is not the only game in town. Drinking too much—on a single occasion or over time—can take a serious toll on just about every … Read more
Combating underage drinking is a major public health priority, as alcohol use by young people increases the likelihood of short- and long-term consequences, including altered brain development, academic problems, sexually transmitted infections, physical and sexual assault, traffic crashes, injuries, overdoses, and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Epidemiological data from the 2018 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey, … 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