title: How does stress lead to risk of alcohol relapse?
abstract: Empirical findings from human laboratory and brain-imaging studies are consistent with clinical observations and indicate that chronic alcohol-related dysfunction in emotional and stress responses plays a role in motivation to consume alcohol in people with alcohol use disorders. Recent findings on differences in stress responsivity in alcohol-dependent versus nondependent social drinkers demonstrate alterations in stress pathways that partially may explain the significant contribution of stress-related mechanisms on craving and relapse susceptibility. These findings have significant implications for clinical practice, including (1) the development of novel brain and stress biology-related measures of relapse risk that could serve as biomarkers to identify those most at risk of alcohol relapse during early recovery from alcoholism; and (2) the development of novel interventions that target stress-related effects on the motivation to drink alcohol and on relapse outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Rajita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sinha
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D001143:Arousal; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000009:adverse effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging; D006801:Humans; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D012306:Risk; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol