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Frontier mental health research: psychedelics & drug studies

Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.

Neuroscience Neuroplasticity Neuroscience

1 paper

Alcohol, stress hormones, and the prefrontal cortex: A proposed pathway to the dark side of addiction

Yi-Ling Lu, Heather N. Richardson
Neuroscience Summary & key facts 2014 78 citations

This review paper brings together animal and human studies to explain how alcohol and stress hormones may change the prefrontal cortex and the body’s stress system as drinking moves from casual use toward dependence. The authors say alcohol raises stress hormones (glucocorticoids) right away, and repeated heavy use can produce…

Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior Stress Responses and Cortisol Tryptophan and brain disorders
Summaries and links are for general information and education only. They are not a substitute for reading the original publication or for professional medical, legal, or other advice. Always refer to the linked source for the full study.