Smells Tied to Alcohol May Stir Cravings, Indiana University Study

A region in the brain springs into action when cravings for alcohol are activated by cues, such as smells, according to a study with rats. The findings suggest alcohol craving and relapse may have a physical neurological basis. Speaking at the 80th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons in Miami, Fla., Jessica Wilden, chief resident in neurosurgery department at Indiana University, presented data from experiments with rats that were trained to drink alcohol, named “alcohol-preferring (P) rats.”

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