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Indiana Alcohol Research Center

The Indiana Alcohol Research Center is an interdisciplinary specialized research center at Indiana University School of Medicine where experts study the behavioral, genetic and central nervous system factors that contribute to alcohol use disorders. The center was established in 1987 by a grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) of the National Institutes of Health, which supports research in the etiology, pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention of alcoholism.

The Indiana Alcohol Research Center is an exceptional venue for alcoholism research, working closely with an associated T32 grant that supports graduate students and post-doctoral scientists. The center’s outreach component educates governmental policy makers about the science related to diagnosis and treatment of alcoholism and other substance abuses. Indiana Alcohol Research Center investigators also hold numerous other grants on related topics from the NIAAA and other agencies.

The Indiana Alcohol Research Center partners with researchers across the globe and has been particularly active in providing selectively bred lines of rats and mice, which differ in alcohol preference. Center investigators have also developed the use of computerized alcohol infusion system (CAIS) for the administration of ethanol to prescribe and maintain blood alcohol concentrations within great experimental precision.

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Alcohol treatment is available in-person and through telehealth services and other online options.

The NIAAA provides an alcohol treatment navigator to help adults find telehealth alcohol treatment by health care professionals. Other treatment resources are available through IU School of Medicine clinical partners, including IU Health, Eskenazi Health and Riley Children’s Health.

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Recent News

IU researchers receive $8.6M NIH grant renewal to study alcohol use, binge drinking

A multi-disciplinary team of Indiana University researchers is focusing their efforts on a growing public health concern: binge and “high-intensity” drinking—extreme drinking behaviors that are increasingly prevalent among college-age adults.

IU School of Medicine  |  Apr 05, 2023

Researchers identify link between alternative gene splicing and risk of alcohol use disorder

Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine have discovered alternative gene splicing, which occurs during gene expression, can impact a person’s risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD).

IU School of Medicine  |  May 30, 2023