Brief alcohol interventions (BAIs) often have count outcomes, such as the number of drinks consumed. Choosing an appropriate method to analyze count outcomes is critical for building evidence around efficacy and effectiveness of BAIs. This critical review provides step-by-step guidelines and accessible resources for selecting statistical models to analyze count data. We also provide a checklist for data reporting of count outcomes for BAIs. By following these recommendations, future alcohol intervention research may improve accuracy, transparency, and reproducibility of results.

The cerebellum contributes to control over wide-ranging behaviors and underlying neural circuits that are relevant to alcohol use disorder (AUD). Few studies have assessed network connectivity with this region and its association with executive control in AUD. The present study implemented an agnostic whole-brain approach and identified network alterations in AUD, predominantly within the cerebro-cerebellar executive control network. These findings suggest that the cerebellum may play a significant role in executive control loss in AUD.

Pain emerges as a significant risk factor for relapse in those recovering from problematic alcohol use. Our study reveals that adolescent alcohol exposure induces persistent mechanical hypersensitivity during protracted withdrawal in male and female mice. This hyperalgesic state was accompanied by activation of corticotropin-releasing factor receptor type 1-expressing neurons in the dorsolateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. These findings bring new insights into the long-term neurobiological consequences of adolescent alcohol use.

The study investigates the acute effects of moderate alcohol on neurometabolites, glutamate+glutamine (Glx) and N-acetylaspartate+N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAA), in the midcingulate cortex of healthy young adults. Using ¹H-MRS and an alcohol clamp technique, we found that both Glx and NAA levels increased post-alcohol infusion. Importantly, NAA levels positively correlated with blood acetaldehyde, not alcohol levels. The findings suggest that acetaldehyde, a metabolite of alcohol, may play a key role in these neurometabolic changes, offering new insights into the neurobiological effects of alcohol.

The present study was conducted to reveal the mechanisms underlying binge ethanol-induced spleen atrophy through network meta-analysis, using various tools of QIAGEN Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. The QIAGEN knowledge base and Mammalian Phenotype Ontology were used to identify alcohol-related molecules and the molecules associated with the small spleen phenotype, respectively. Alcohol-mediated concurrent activation and inhibition of molecules led to decreased spleen size by modulation of cell death (apoptosis), cell proliferation, and cell migration/emigration (immune cell redistribution).

Alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) is a severe liver disease with poor clinical outcomes. Patients with severe illnesses and those with limited socioeconomic support tend to disproportionately use the emergency department (ED) over other care settings. Despite the temporal increase in prevalence of AH, ED utilization in these patients is not known. Using the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample from 2016-2019, we noted an increase in ED utilization rates for AH, a higher proportion of patients 25-44 years, and greater disease severity.

Insufficient diagnostic capacity is a critical barrier to achieving goals of early diagnosis and provision of FASD-informed care. We conducted a pre-post analysis to examine the feasibility of virtual tele-mentoring (ECHO FASD) to train community clinicians to assess, diagnose, and treat children with FASD in their practices. Data including registration, attendance, participant ratings, diagnostic accuracy, and changes in pre-post-intervention knowledge and confidence support feasibility of the model as a potential way to improve diagnostic capacity.

Using data from a prospective cohort in Ukraine, the objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of a classifier model for FASD diagnosed in preschool-aged children from pregnancy and infancy-related characteristics. In a hold-out sample, the best performing algorithm correctly classified 6 of 11 children with FASD, and 44 of 47 children without FASD. As early identification and treatment optimizes outcomes of children with FASD, classifier models from early life characteristics show promise.

This study investigated sex differences in the effects of chronic low-dose ethanol history on reward tracking and use of contingencies to guide behavior. While male mice were insensitive to contingency changes in this paradigm, ethanol exposure reduced reward tracking behavior in males. In contrast, in female mice, ethanol exposure interacted with reinforcement history to drive insensitivity to changes in contingency. These findings reveal that males and females use different strategies during behavior, and these are differentially impacted by ethanol.

The current study examined heterogeneity in how pregaming motives, social anxiety, and depression associate with past 30-day pregaming variables among heavy-drinking university students. Results indicated that profiles with subclinical social anxiety/depression and high pregaming motives were associated with more frequent pregaming and consequences. Clinically-elevated social anxiety/depression and moderate motives associated with greater negative consequences among students. Interventions targeting pregaming-specific motives, especially those related to co-occurring social anxiety and depression symptoms, may reduce drinking-related harm related to pregaming among students.

This study examined the use of natural language processing (NLP) to identify alcohol-related risks before surgery by analyzing patients’ clinical notes from three years prior. Comparing the NLP model with a human-labeled dataset and ICD codes, the NLP-based approach identified three times more patients with risky alcohol use, and accurately identified 87% of the patients classified by humans as higher risk. Findings show the potential of NLP to augment other alcohol screening tools to enhance surgical safety.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a promising therapeutic tool for alcohol use disorder (AUD). This study evaluates the feasibility and tolerability of 20 sessions of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex intermittent theta burst stimulation (DLPFC iTBS, a patterned form of TMS) in Veterans with AUD. Veterans who received active iTBS experienced reduced relapse rates, anhedonia scores and brain response to alcohol cues, relative to sham. DLPFC iTBS is feasible and well-tolerated in Veterans with AUD and may ameliorate relapse-related risk factors.

Using a human laboratory paradigm, we tested the effects of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor tolcapone, which selectively potentiates evoked cortical dopamine release, on subjective response to alcohol among non-treatment-seeking individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Tolcapone, relative to placebo, reduced alcohol-induced stimulation and sedation more among individuals with higher baseline COMT activity, and stimulation mediated the interacting effects of baseline COMT activity and tolcapone on alcohol self-administration, suggesting COMT inhibition may be a viable pharmacological target for some AUD individuals.

This study investigates regulatory flexibility in individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Using latent profile analysis, two regulatory flexibility profiles were identified: context-sensitive regulators (CSR) and moderate flexibility regulators (MFR). CSR exhibited lower symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, along with lower AUDIT scores compared to MFR. The findings suggest that context sensitivity, coupled with moderate abilities in repertoire and feedback responsiveness, may serve as a protective factor against negative psychosocial symptoms in individuals with moderate-severe AUD.