Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The NIAAA functions both as a funding agency that supports research by external research institutions and as a research institution itself, where alcohol research is carried out in‐house. [1] It funds approximately 90% of all such research in the United States. [2] The NIAAA publishes the academic journal Alcohol Research: Current Reviews.
Alcohol abuse affects neurons in the frontal cortex that typically have a large soma, or cell body. This type of neuron is more susceptible to Alzheimer's disease and normal aging. Research is still being conducted to determine whether there is a direct link between excessive alcohol consumption and Alzheimer's disease. [8]
The long-term impact of alcohol on the brain has become a growing area of research focus. While researchers have found that moderate alcohol consumption in older adults is associated with better cognition and well-being than abstinence, [ 1 ] excessive alcohol consumption is associated with widespread and significant brain lesions .
George F. Koob (born 1947) is a Professor and former Chair of the Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders at the Scripps Research Institute [1] and Adjunct Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California, San Diego.
The National Bureau of Economic Research found that there is a "definite connection between mental illness and the use of addictive substances" and a majority of mental health patients participate in the use of these substances: 38% alcohol, 44% cocaine, and 40% cigarettes.
The modern disease theory of alcoholism states that problem drinking is sometimes caused by a disease of the brain, characterized by altered brain structure and function. Today, alcohol use disorder (AUD) is used as a more scientific and suitable approach to alcohol dependence and alcohol -related problems.
Most research has shown that the major part of the brain that reinforces addiction through neurochemical reward is the nucleus accumbens. The image to the right shows how dopamine is projected into this area. Long-term excessive alcohol use can cause dependence and addiction. How this addiction occurs is described below. [citation needed]
The underlying mechanism involves a decreased responsiveness of GABA receptors in the brain. [3] The withdrawal process is typically followed using the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol scale (CIWA-Ar). [3] The typical treatment of alcohol withdrawal is with benzodiazepines such as chlordiazepoxide or diazepam. [2]