Researchers try to pinpoint risks of alcoholism relapse

German researchers say they're closer to inventing a diagnostic method for determining the odds that sober alcoholics will begin drinking again, according to an article published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

The Mayo Clinic associates alcoholism with numerous health problems, including bone thinning due to osteoporosis, while a study from the National Center for Biotechnology Information draws a link between alcohol consumption and gastric reflux. Individuals struggling with either ailment can buy Fosamax or buy Prevacid from a Canadian internet pharmacy.

The brains of 46 recovering problem drinkers were studied directly using magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) to observe certain chemical stimuli signals relating to alcohol. Many individuals who displayed the strongest signals had relapsed when studied again three months later. In addition, the 16 subjects who had remained abstinent from alcohol had displayed more grey matter in areas of their forebrain during their initial scanning. According to the researchers, the forebrain is the area responsible for keeping behaviors and emotions in check.

"This characteristic in patients who remained abstinent possibly acts as a warning signal and prevents potential relapse when confronted with alcohol," and Anne Beck, the study's lead author.

More findings regarding brain matter and alcoholism recently came from Italian scientists at the Scripps Research Institute. According to their findings, culled from experimenting on laboratory rats, the peptide ghrelin could be used in future drug treatments for alcoholism. Normally, this hormone is responsible for stimulating hunger.

"There is increasing evidence that the peptide systems regulating food consumption are also critical players in excessive alcohol consumption. These peptide systems have the potential to serve as targets for new therapies aimed at treating alcoholism," said Marisa Roberto, an expert in the field of alcoholism research.