The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), as part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, supports and conducts biomedical and behavioural research on the causes, consequences, treatment, and prevention of alcoholism and alcohol-related problems. 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. It funds approximately 90% of all such research in the United States. The NIAAA publishes the academic journal Alcohol Research: Current Reviews.
James L. McGaugh is an American neurobiologist and author working in the field of learning and memory. He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at the University of California, Irvine and a fellow and founding director of the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory.
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.
The Collaborative Studies on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) is an eleven-center research project in the United States designed to understand the genetic basis of alcoholism. Research is conducted at University of Connecticut, Indiana University, University of Iowa, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Washington University in St. Louis, University of California at San Diego, Rutgers University, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Virginia Commonwealth University, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Howard University.
Psychological dependence is a cognitive disorder that involves emotional–motivational withdrawal symptoms – such as anxiety or anhedonia – upon cessation of prolonged drug abuse or certain repetitive behaviors. It develops through frequent exposure to certain psychoactive substances or behaviors, which leads to an individual requiring further exposure to avoid withdrawal symptoms, as a result of negative reinforcement. Neuronal counter-adaptation is believed to play a role in generating withdrawal symptoms, which could be mediated through changes in neurotransmitter activity or altered receptor expression. Environmental enrichment and physical activity can attenuate withdrawal symptoms.
Bankole A. Johnson, DSc, MD, MPhil, FRCPsych is a Nigerian psychiatrist. He served as Alumni Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia and is known for his research into addiction.
Mustafa al’Absi is a Yemeni academic who is a Professor of Behavioral Medicine and the holder of the Max & Mary La Due Pickworth Chair at University of Minnesota Medical School. Al'Absi also holds faculty positions at Department of Family Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Neurosciences, and the Integrated Biological Science Program. He is the founding director of the Duluth Medical Research Institute (DMRI), the Behavioral Medicine Laboratories, and the Khat Research Program (KRP). Al’Absi completed his undergraduate education at Cairo University and his doctoral training at the University of Oklahoma in biological psychology with specialization in clinical psychology and behavioral medicine.
The central nucleus of the amygdala is a nucleus within the amygdala. It "serves as the major output nucleus of the amygdala and participates in receiving and processing pain information."
Addiction vulnerability is an individual's risk of developing an addiction during their lifetime. There are a range of genetic and environmental risk factors for developing an addiction that vary across the population. Genetic and environmental risk factors each account for roughly half of an individual's risk for developing an addiction; the contribution from epigenetic risk factors to the total risk is unknown. Even in individuals with a relatively low genetic risk, exposure to sufficiently high doses of an addictive drug for a long period of time can result in an addiction. In other words, anyone can become an individual with a substance use disorder under particular circumstances. Research is working toward establishing a comprehensive picture of the neurobiology of addiction vulnerability, including all factors at work in propensity for addiction.
Susan G. Amara is an American professor of neuroscience and is the Scientific Director of the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Amara is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is a Past-President of the Society for Neuroscience. Dr. Amara has a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in Physiology and Pharmacology from the University of California, San Diego.
Robert O. Pihl is an American psychology researcher, professor and clinician. Since 1966, he has worked at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He is also a fellow of the American Psychological Association and Canadian Psychological Association, as well as a member of many other academic organizations.
Alcoholism is a chronic disease characterized by trouble controlling the consumption of alcohol, dependence, and withdrawal upon rapid cessation of drinking. According to ARDI reports approximately 88,000 people had alcohol-related deaths in the United States between the years of 2006 and 2010. Furthermore, chronic alcohol use is consistently the third leading cause of death in the United States. In consequence, research has sought to determine the factors responsible for the development and persistence of alcoholism. From this research, several molecular and epigenetic mechanisms have been discovered.
Patricia Janak is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University who studies the biological basis of behavior through associative learning. Janak applies this research to pathological behaviors, such as addiction and posttraumatic stress disorder, to improve understanding of how stimuli affect relapse and responses.
Michel Le Moal is a French neuropsychiatrist and neuroscientist from Le Havre. In France, he is considered to be the first to research the establishing relationships between behavior and neuroscience, as well as creating an integrative neurobiology.
James David Jentsch is an American neuroscientist. He is the Empire Innovation Professor of Psychology at Binghamton University. His research considers the neurobiological origins of psychoses and addiction. Jentsch was awarded the 2011 AAAS Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility.
Marisa Roberto is an Italian-American neuroscientist and professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine and Neuroscience at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. Roberto is recognized for her contributions to the understanding of alcohol addiction, specifically for her research on the effects of alcohol and neuromodulators on synaptic transmission in the central amygdala, a critical addiction-related brain region.
Courtney A. Miller is an American neuroscientist and Professor of the Department of Molecular Medicine at the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Florida. Miller investigates the biological basis of neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases and develops novel therapeutics based on her mechanistic discoveries.
Jessica Barson is an American neuroscientist and associate professor at Drexel University College of Medicine. Barson investigates neuropeptide signalling in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus as well as the nucleus accumbens to understand the neurobiological basis of addiction and elucidate targets for therapy.
John F. Kelly is an American-based researcher and professor of addiction medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is the Founder and Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Recovery Research Institute, Associate Director of the MGH Center for Addiction Medicine, and Program Director of the MGH Addiction Recovery Management Service.
Joseph R. Volpicelli is an American psychiatrist, research scientist, medical academic, and expert in the treatment of addictive disorders. He is Professor Emeritus, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He is board certified in neurology, psychiatry and addiction psychiatry. He currently is Medical Director at Volpicelli Center, an out-patient addiction treatment facility in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, as well as the Executive Director at Institute of Addiction Medicine, a non-profit research entity also in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania.
