• Recognition of emotional facial expressions ( EFEs) is a key form of non-verbal communication that is lacking among alcoholics.
• New findings show continuing EFE decoding deficits among alcoholics even after three months of abstinence.
• Alcoholics with the worst EFE…

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) refers to a wide array of adverse developmental outcomes in children due to prenatal alcohol exposure.   FASD is more widespread than Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which is more severe, but FASD is harder to accurately diagnose because of fewer objective…

• New research uses an electroencephalogram (EEG) to look for a connection between brain activity thought to reflect trait-like differences in emotionality and alcoholism .
• Findings show an asymmetry of activity in the left and right frontal areas of the brain.
• The…

• Little is known about the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on stress systems in infants.
• New findings indicate that the greater the PAE, the greater the cortisol, autonomic, and emotional responses to social challenges in young infants.
• The days between…

• Alcohol can help people initially fall asleep, but leads to poor-quality sleep later in the night.
• Escalated consumption of alcohol to aid sleep can lead to alcoholism.
• Inaccurate sleep perceptions among alcoholics in early recovery may predict relapse to drinking.…

• Popular and clinical lore support the strong connection between smoking and alcohol consumption.
• Adolescent smokers appear to have a greater vulnerability to developing alcohol-use disorders.
• Results indicate that smoking “primes” the brain for subsequent addiction to…

• Gamma- aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain .
• An enzyme called glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) is involved in the synthesis of GABA.
• Results indicate that the GAD1 gene may play a role in the development of alcoholism as well as…

• The hippocampus, a brain structure vital to learning and memory, is likely vulnerable to damage from heavy and chronic alcohol consumption.
• A new study has found a reduction in total hippocampus volume among alcoholics.
• This suggests that heavy drinking can cause…

• Naltrexone (NTX) is an opioid antagonist medication used for the treatment of alcoholism.
• NTX may be more effective among individuals with a family history of alcoholism, suggesting a genetic influence on treatment response.
• Findings indicate that Asp carriers of the…

• Despite its illegality, alcohol establishments continue to sell alcohol to intoxicated persons.
• New findings show that establishments that hold regular staff meetings, and that have full-liquor licenses, are less likely to sell alcohol to intoxicated patrons … but the…