Alcoholism
Recent clinical, regulatory, research and industry developments relating to this disease.
Central amygdala astrocyte plasticity underlies GABAergic dysregulation in ethanol dependence.
Effects of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Alcohol Use Disorder.
Human genetics and epigenetics of alcohol use disorder.
Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment: Problems and Solutions.
Multi-ancestry study of the genetics of problematic alcohol use in over 1 million individuals.
Canadian guideline for the clinical management of high-risk drinking and alcohol use disorder.
The Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism: Overview.
What's happening now
An analyst briefing on current research, clinical, regulatory and industry activity surrounding this disease.
- 4 clinical trials expected to report results, the earliest in Q3 2026.
- Active recent publication activity.
- Q3 2026Individual Differences After Consumption of Alcohol and Other Common Substances and Long-Term Follow-Up of Social Drinking, Young Adults
- Q3 2027Testing the Reward-Drinker Hypothesis of Naltrexone Using an Extended-Release Formulation
- Q3 2028Effect of Tirzepatide on Alcohol Intake and Reward Processing in Patients Diagnosed With Schizophrenia and Alcohol Use Disorder
- Q3 2028Functional Neuroimaging of the Enhanced Antidepressant Efficacy of Ketamine in a Biologically-Enriched Subgroup
Research HighlightsViewHide
- 2025-10-10Chronic alcohol-induced brain states limit propagation of direct cortical stimulation.Habelt B · 2025
Clinical MilestonesViewHide
- 2026-05-01Functional Neuroimaging of the Enhanced Antidepressant Efficacy of Ketamine in a Biologically-Enriched SubgroupResults expected Q3 2028
- 2026-04-09Individual Differences After Consumption of Alcohol and Other Common Substances and Long-Term Follow-Up of Social Drinking, Young AdultsResults expected Q3 2026
- 2026-02-10Effect of Tirzepatide on Alcohol Intake and Reward Processing in Patients Diagnosed With Schizophrenia and Alcohol Use DisorderResults expected Q3 2028
- 2026-01-20Testing the Reward-Drinker Hypothesis of Naltrexone Using an Extended-Release FormulationResults expected Q3 2027
- 2026-07-31ClinicalFunctional Neuroimaging of Alcoholism Vulnerability: Probing Glutamate and Reward, Using the mGluR5 Inhibitor MavoglurantPrimary completion
- 2026-05-01ClinicalFunctional Neuroimaging of the Enhanced Antidepressant Efficacy of Ketamine in a Biologically-Enriched SubgroupResults expected Q3 2028
- 2026-04-09ClinicalIndividual Differences After Consumption of Alcohol and Other Common Substances and Long-Term Follow-Up of Social Drinking, Young AdultsResults expected Q3 2026
- 2026-02-10ClinicalEffect of Tirzepatide on Alcohol Intake and Reward Processing in Patients Diagnosed With Schizophrenia and Alcohol Use DisorderResults expected Q3 2028
- 2026-01-20ClinicalTesting the Reward-Drinker Hypothesis of Naltrexone Using an Extended-Release FormulationResults expected Q3 2027
- 2025-10-10ResearchChronic alcohol-induced brain states limit propagation of direct cortical stimulation.Habelt B · 2025
Research-associated treatments
Drugs and agents co-studied with this disease across the research literature — associative, not necessarily established treatments. Number shows shared papers.
Clinical trials
The current development programme across all trial phases.
Research activity
Key research shaping understanding of this disease, combining the latest publications with the most influential evidence.
Major themes8
- Alcoholism17
- Ethanol3
- Hallucinogens2
- Neuronal Plasticity2
- Alcohol Drinking1
- Astrocytes1
- Autism Spectrum Disorder1
- Basal Ganglia1
Leading journals6
- Genes, brain, and behavior3
- Scientific reports2
- Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica1
- Addiction (Abingdon, England)1
- Alcohol research : current reviews1
- Annual review of pharmacology and toxicology1
Leading researchers8
- Agrawal A4
- Edenberg HJ4
- Johnson EC3
- Porjesz B3
- Bucholz KK2
- Dick D2
- Foroud T2
- Gelernter J2
Affiliations (unnormalised)6
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai5
- Indiana University School of Medicine5
- Indiana University3
- Rutgers University3
- Washington University School of Medicine3
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia2
Disease biology
Key proteins & gene products studied in this disease. Number shows shared papers.
Related conditions
Diseases frequently studied alongside this one. Number shows shared papers.
Disease profile
A grounded synthesis of the condition — overview, causes, mechanism, risk factors and current standard of care.
Alcoholism is a primary, chronic disease influenced by genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors. It is characterized by impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with alcohol, continued use despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking such as denial. The condition is often progressive and can be fatal.
The grounding supports a multifactorial aetiology involving genetic, psychosocial, and environmental influences. Genetic studies of problematic alcohol use identify inherited risk variants and suggest a substantial genetic contribution. The literature also links alcohol-related problems to broader psychosocial and environmental context, but does not support a single cause.
The literature describes alcoholism as involving a cycle of binge/intoxication, withdrawal/negative affect, and preoccupation/anticipation. Co-studied mechanisms include alcohol drinking, synaptic transmission, neuronal plasticity, and psychotherapy-related psychological mechanisms. Genetic work also implicates polymorphism, single nucleotide variation, and brain-expressed genes in the biology of problematic alcohol use.
Risk is increased by genetic susceptibility, including inherited variants associated with problematic alcohol use. Psychosocial and environmental influences also contribute to development and manifestations of the disease. The grounding does not support more specific risk factors.
Treatment is described at the level of behavioral health interventions and FDA-approved medications for alcohol use disorder, though the grounding does not specify individual agents as standard care. The literature also covers psychotherapy and broader treatment approaches, including screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment. Psychedelic-assisted approaches and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy appear in the literature as studied modalities, but the grounding does not establish them as standard of care.
AI-generated summary grounded in MeSH and 6 peer-reviewed sources. Informational only — not medical advice. Generated 2026-07-07.
Reference
Authoritative identity, definition & identifiers.
A primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably denial. Each of these symptoms may be continuous or periodic. (Morse & Flavin for the Joint Commission of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and the American Society of Addiction Medicine to Study the Definition and Criteria for the Diagnosis of Alcoholism: in JAMA 1992;268:1012-4)
- Disease identity & definition — NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), public domain
- Clinical trials — ClinicalTrials.gov (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
- Research activity — Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI) + OpenAlex-derived paper links
- Related entities are derived from literature co-mention (studied together) — associative, not causal.