Alcohol

Controversial drug shown to act on brain protein to cut alcohol use

Medicationagainst nicotine addiction is nowadays readily available. However, asimilar and equally dangerous addiction, alcoholism, can't yet becontrolled by drugs. Or can it be? Researchers from the University ofCalifornia in San Diego identified a natural compound able to blockalcohol addiction in rodents. We can only hope that anti-alcoholismpatchs or gum...

Alcohol's effects on gene expression in the central nervous system

Alcohol's primary target is the central nervous system (CNS), where it influences neurotransmission to produce intoxication. Scientists can now use microarray technology to study brain function gene by gene. Symposium proceedings published in the February issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research address the effects of alcohol on what is called "gene expression" in the CNS regions...

VCU Researchers Identify Networks Of Genes Responding To Alcohol In The Brain

Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have identified several genetic changes in the brains of mice caused by ethanol, which may help researchers better understand how and why people become addicted to alcohol. In the March issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers reported significant differences in the gene expression patterns regulated by alcohol in two mouse strains know...

Owl genomics presents a HEPATOCHIP for diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

OWL Genomics, biotechnological company, has presented at the CIC bioGUNE hold at the Bizkaia Technological Park (Derio), the first DNA chip concerning diagnosis and prognosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), allowing the discrimination between normal, steatosis and NASH predisposed subjects. Non alcoholic steatohepatitis is a progressive disease of the liver of unknown etiology, ch...

Alcohol consumption disrupts breastfeeding hormones

Despite age-old claims advising breastfeeding moms that alcoholic beverages can improve their nursing performance, researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center report that even moderate doses of alcohol affect the hormones responsible for lactation in a counterproductive manner. "This information is important for women," comments lead author Julie Mennella, PhD, a biopsychologist. "If...

Investigating 'brain shrinkage' in alcoholics

Previous studies have demonstrated that the brains of alcoholics are smaller, lighter and "shrunken" when compared to nonalcoholic brains. Symposium speakers at the October 2004 Congress for the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism in Mannheim, Germany reviewed what is known about the causes, consequences and clinical implications of alcohol-related brain shrinkage. Proceed...

Russian 'surrogate' alcohols are a killer

Heavy alcohol consumption contributes to numerous problems in Russia, not the least of which is a very high death rate. In an ongoing study of 25- to 54-year-old Russian men living in an industrial city, researchers have discovered that a significant proportion consume "surrogate" alcohols, otherwise known as products containing alcohol that are not legally sold for consumption. Researchers hav...

Looking for the genes that affect a person's level of response to alcohol

How a person "feels" the effects of alcohol is, in part, genetically influenced and relates to their risk for developing alcoholism. A low level of response (LR) to alcohol, or the need for a higher number of drinks to feel intoxication the first few times a person drinks, is more likely to occur in children of alcoholics, and predicts a greater risk for alcohol problems. A study in the Novembe...

Mapping alcohol brain damage

UQ biochemists are working with American researchers to pinpoint why only some parts of the brain are damaged in alcoholics. Chronic alcohol...

Alcoholism, smoking and genetics among Plains American Indians

Alcoholism and smoking have a high rate of co-occurrence in the general population. Yet little is known about the co-morbidity of alcoholism and smoking among American Indians. In the March issue of , researchers examine patterns of alcohol and tobacco use among Plains American Indians, as well as the influence that a catechol-O-methyltrans...

Genetic and environmental influences on alcohol consumption among rhesus monkeys

There is little doubt that alcohol-related disorders in humans are genetically based. The influence of environmental factors, however, remains unclear. Given that studies of humans are complicated by a multitude of cultural and day-to-day-living factors, researchers in the March issue of use rhesus monkeys to examine genetic and environmen...

Both alcoholism and chronic smoking can damage the brain's prefrontal cortex

University of Utah researchers will receive up to $10.3 million to help develop a new prosthetic arm that would work, feel and look like a real arm. The Utah work is a key part of a U.S. Department of Defense contract worth up to $55 million to develop the new device for soldiers and potentially others whose arms were amputated. "Imagine an artificial arm that moves naturally in response t...

Variation in bitter-taste receptor gene increases risk for alcoholism

A team of researchers, led by investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has found that a gene variant for a bitter-taste receptor on the tongue is associated with an increased risk for alcohol dependence.The research team studied DNA samples from 262 families, all of which have at least three alcoholic individuals. The families are participating in a national study c...

Brains can recover from alcoholic damage but patients should stop drinking as soon as possible

The findings, published today (18 December 2006) in the online edition of the journal Brain [1], used sophisticated scanning technology and computer software to measure how brain volume, form and function changed over six to seven weeks of abstinence from alcohol in 15 alcohol dependent patients (ten men, five women). The researchers from Germany, the UK, Switzerland and Italy measured the...

Friendly bacteria in alcoholic milkshake could fight food allergies

Feeding babies alcoholic milk may help to protect against some food allergies. Kefir, a traditional fermented drink, is consumed in Eastern Europe as a health food, and is often used to wean babies, as it is easily digested. Food allergy prevalence is especially high in children under the age of three, with around 5-8% of infants at risk. Currently the only treatment is avoidance of the problemat...

LSD treatment for alcoholism gets new look

For the past five years, Dr. Erika Dyck has been unearthing some intriguing facts related to a group of pioneering psychiatrists who worked in Saskatchewan, Canada in the '50s and '60s. Among other things, the University of Alberta history of medicine professor has found records of the psychiatrists' research that indicate a single dose of the hallucinogenic drug LSD, provided in a clinic...

Fruit fly study identifies gene mutation that regulates sensitivity to alcohol

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have discovered a gene mutation in fruit flies that alters sensitivity to alcohol. The findings, reported in the October 6 issue of the journal Cell, may have implications for human studies seeking to understand innate differences in people's tolerance for alcohol. The research was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abu...

New compound prevents alcoholic behavior, relapse in animals by blocking stress response

A study of alcohol-dependent animals shows that a newly discovered compound that blocks chemical signals active during the brain’s response to stress effectively stops excessive drinking and prevents relapse. The new, synthetic compound, known as MTIP, also muted the anxiety that typically develops in rats experiencing the equivalent of a hangover. Such stress is linked with higher levels...