Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is one of the most common and severe mental health conditions. It affects millions of people worldwide and has a devastating impact on both individuals and society.
According to a 2018 report by the World Health Organization (WHO), alcohol use is responsible for over 3 million deaths each year. Additionally, harmful drinking contributes to 5.1% of the global burden of disease, highlighting its widespread impact on health.
Researchers at the University of Warwick have made significant progress in understanding the physical root cause of alcohol addiction.
Their study, led by Professor Jianfeng Feng and published in the journal Science Advances, identifies a specific network in the brain that plays a key role in how we respond to danger. This network is closely linked to the development of alcohol use disorder.
The brain has a region at its front called the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC). This area is responsible for sensing unpleasant or emergency situations.
When it detects something negative, it sends this information to another part of the brain, the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG), which is located deeper within the brain.
The dPAG processes this information and determines whether we need to take action, such as escaping from a threatening situation.
To understand how this brain network is involved in alcohol addiction, the research team analyzed MRI brain scans from a large group of 2,000 participants. These participants were part of the IMAGEN dataset, a research project involving people from the UK, Germany, France, and Ireland.
During the study, participants completed tasks while undergoing functional MRI scans. These tasks were designed to create negative feelings by withholding rewards, which would normally result in feelings of punishment or disappointment.
The researchers found that individuals who had a history of alcohol abuse showed a greater disruption in the communication between the mOFC and dPAG when they experienced negative feelings during the tasks.
This disruption plays a critical role in the development of alcohol addiction, as it affects how the brain responds to negative situations and the urge to drink alcohol.
There are two main ways this brain network can become imbalanced, leading to a higher risk of alcohol use disorder:
Inhibited dPAG Response: Alcohol has the effect of inhibiting or dulling the activity of the dPAG, the part of the brain that processes adverse situations.
When the dPAG is less active, the brain does not respond as strongly to negative signals or the need to escape from a dangerous or unpleasant situation.
As a result, a person may only feel the positive effects of drinking alcohol, such as relaxation or euphoria, without fully experiencing the harmful side effects. This can lead to compulsive drinking, where the person continues to drink excessively without considering the consequences.
Over-Excited dPAG: On the other hand, individuals with alcohol addiction often have an over-excited dPAG, meaning this area of the brain is hyperactive.
This heightened activity makes the person feel as though they are constantly in an unpleasant or stressful situation that they need to escape from. In these cases, alcohol becomes a quick and urgent way to cope with these negative feelings, leading to impulsive drinking.
The study’s findings are crucial because they offer a clearer picture of how alcohol addiction forms in the brain. Understanding these underlying mechanisms opens the door to developing more effective treatments and interventions for alcohol use disorder.
By targeting the specific brain networks involved in AUD, it may be possible to create therapies that help individuals regain control over their drinking and reduce the global impact of alcohol abuse.
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.
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