Alcohol use disorder, often called AUD, is one of the most common and serious mental health conditions in the world. It affects millions of people of all ages and backgrounds.
People with AUD find it difficult to control how much they drink, even when alcohol causes problems in their health, work, relationships, or daily life. Alcohol addiction can damage the brain, liver, heart, and many other organs. It can also increase the risk of accidents, depression, anxiety, and suicide.
According to the World Health Organization, alcohol contributes to more than three million deaths every year. It is linked to more than five percent of the global burden of disease. Because of its wide-ranging effects, scientists are working hard to understand exactly how alcohol changes the brain and why some people become addicted while others do not.
Now, researchers at the University of Warwick have uncovered an important clue. Their study, led by Professor Jianfeng Feng, suggests that a brain network responsible for detecting danger and responding to unpleasant situations may play a key role in alcohol addiction. The findings were published in the journal Science Advances.
The researchers focused on two important parts of the brain. The first is called the medial orbitofrontal cortex, or mOFC. This area sits near the front of the brain and helps people judge situations, make decisions, and recognize when something is wrong or unpleasant.
When the brain detects a negative event, the mOFC sends signals to another area deep inside the brain called the dorsal periaqueductal gray, or dPAG.
The dPAG helps control survival responses. It plays a major role in deciding whether the body should react to danger by escaping, avoiding a threat, or preparing to protect itself. Together, these two brain regions help people respond appropriately to stressful or harmful situations.
To investigate how this system is linked to alcohol addiction, the scientists analyzed brain scans from around 2,000 young people who took part in the international IMAGEN research project.
Participants came from the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Ireland. During brain scanning, they completed tasks designed to create feelings of disappointment by unexpectedly removing rewards. This allowed the researchers to observe how the brain reacted to negative emotions.
The study found that people with a history of alcohol misuse showed weaker communication between the mOFC and the dPAG when they experienced disappointment or other unpleasant feelings. This weaker connection may reduce the brain’s ability to process negative emotions in a healthy way, making alcohol more appealing as a way to cope.
The researchers also identified two different patterns that may increase the risk of alcohol addiction.
In the first pattern, alcohol reduces activity in the dPAG. When this happens, people may become less aware of danger or the harmful effects of drinking. Instead, they mainly notice the relaxing or pleasurable feelings caused by alcohol. As a result, they may continue drinking without fully recognizing the risks.
In the second pattern, the dPAG becomes too active. People may feel as though they are constantly under stress or facing a threat, even when they are safe. These uncomfortable feelings may push them to drink alcohol to gain temporary relief. Over time, repeated drinking to escape negative emotions can develop into dependence.
These findings provide a better understanding of what happens inside the brain during alcohol addiction. Rather than being simply a lack of self-control, alcohol use disorder appears to involve changes in brain circuits that influence emotions, stress, and decision-making.
The discovery may also lead to better treatments. If scientists can develop therapies that restore healthy communication between these brain regions, they may be able to reduce alcohol cravings and help people manage negative emotions without turning to drinking.
Future treatments could include new medicines, brain stimulation techniques, or improved psychological therapies that specifically target these brain pathways.
Although more research is needed, this study represents an important step toward understanding the biological causes of alcohol addiction. It also offers hope that future treatments will become more effective by focusing on the brain mechanisms that drive the disorder.
If you care about alcoholism, please read studies that your age may decide whether alcohol is good or bad for you, and people over 40 need to prevent dangerous alcohol/drug interactions.
For more information about alcohol, please see recent studies about moderate alcohol drinking linked to high blood pressure, and results showing this drug combo shows promise for treating alcoholism.
The research was published in the journal Science Advances.
Copyright © 2026 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
