Modeling ability to resist alcohol in the human laboratory: A pilot study.

Background: Roughly half of patients with alcohol use disorder prefer non-abstinence based approaches to treatment. However, only individuals who can limit their alcohol use after low-risk consumption are most likely to benefit from these approaches. This pilot study developed a laboratory-based intravenous alcohol self-administration paradigm to determine the characteristics of individuals who could successfully resist consuming alcohol after an initial exposure.

Common Gray Matter Reductions in Alcohol Use and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders: A Meta-analysis.

Background: Though compulsive drinking is a hallmark of alcohol use disorder (AUD), little is known of the neural mechanisms driving this behavior. To further the understanding of the neural underpinnings of this compulsivity, a meta-analytic approach was used to examine gray matter (GM) volume differences related to AUD, and contrast these differences with GM volume differences in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), to find common underlying regional brain differences.

Methods: We systematically meta-analyzed case-control studies investigating GM volume that used whole-brain voxel-based morphometry separately for AUD and OCD and then directly compared the results of both.

Characteristics Associated With High-Intensity Binge Drinking in Alcohol Use Disorder.

High-intensity binge drinking, defined as consuming 2-3 times the level of a binge (4 or 5 drinks for women or men), increases the risks of overdose and alcohol-related cancer relative to lower levels of drinking. This study examined the relationship between high-intensity binge drinking and three domains hypothesized to contribute to alcohol use disorder (AUD): incentive salience, negative emotionality, and executive function. This cross-sectional study at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism examined 429 adults with AUD and 413 adults without a history of AUD.