Indiana Alcohol Research Center

The Indiana Alcohol Research Center (IARC) is a 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 with an associated T32 training grant. 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 NIAAA and other agencies.

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Collaborative Research

With continuous funding by the NIAAA for 30 years, the Indiana Alcohol Research Center is a collaborative and multi-disciplinary group of scientists from three leading institutions: IU School of Medicine, IUPUI and the College of Engineering at Purdue University. Center experts study the biological bases for differences in the way people drink alcohol as well as the trajectories that lead to alcohol-use disorders.

Learn more about 10 ongoing collaborative research projects of ARC scientists at our Highlights of ARC Science page.

ARC Science Highlights

Innovation

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 maintain blood alcohol concentrations within prescribed levels.

Treatment Resources

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) is one of the 27 institutes and centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIAAA funds the Indiana Alcohol Research Center at IU School of Medicine, supports research on the impact of alcohol use, and provides information to the public about alcohol use disorders. At the initiative of the NIAAA Director, the NIH has created an alcoholism treatment navigator.

Other treatment resources are available through IU School of Medicine clinical partners, including IU Health, Eskenazi Health and Riley Children’s Health.

Program Director

David A. Kareken, PhD

Professor of Neurology

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