Discoveries & Related Links

 Discoveries

  • Repeated alcohol detoxifications can lead to an increase in seizure risk.
  • Use of benzodiazepines for multiple withdrawals is associated with increased drinking.
  • Outpatient alcohol withdrawal can be accomplished more safely with anticonvulsant medications.
  • Unique treatment challenges in treating individuals with AUD and comorbid conditions (anxiety, depression, PTSD).
  • Developed clinical laboratory procedures for evaluating medication effects on measures of craving and motivation to drink.
  • Developed animal models of alcohol dependence and relapse drinking that can be used as a platform to evaluate new and novel drug treatments.
  • Alcohol disrupts nerve cell functioning and neural network activity in prefrontal cortical areas of the brain.
  • Brains of individuals with alcohol use disorder react to alcohol cues differently from social drinkers and medications can “normalize” that reaction.
  • Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a nonpharmacological intervention that holds promise as a novel therapeutic approach to reducing alcohol craving and facilitating enhanced cognitive (behavioral) control over drinking.
  • Sex-related differences in neuroadaptations to chronic alcohol may impact treatment strategies.
  • Pharmacogenetic analyses reveal significant modifying effects of genetics on treatment medication effects.

Related Links