Research Offers New Insights Into Binge Drinking Among Veterans
Mary-Louise Risher , PhD , assistant professor of biomedical sciences at the Joan C . Edwards School of Medicine , is the first recipient within the medical school to receive a Veterans Affairs Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development Service Merit Award with a focus on addiction research . The overall goal of this funding mechanism is to support preclinical research that advances our understanding and treatment of diseases that impact veterans . Risher ’ s $ 992,324 award funds continued investigations into the underlying causes of alcohol-induced cognitive dysfunction and the emergence of alcohol use disorder ( AUD ).
Risher ’ s research focuses on adolescence and the early 20s , when binge drinking is at its highest within the general population but particularly prevalent among young veterans . Despite repeated binge drinking being associated with acute and longterm cognitive impairment , as well as an increased likelihood of developing AUD , the underlying cellular mechanisms are not well understood . Risher is working to identify the mechanisms behind the neuronal deficits that persist long after the cessation of binge drinking and to discover novel drug targets for the reversal of alcohol-related cognitive decline . By combining cutting-edge structural , functional , and behavioral approaches to understand how non-neuronal cells called astrocytes contribute to cognitive dysfunction , Risher is leading the alcohol research field into exciting , unchartered waters .
Since joining Marshall University in 2018 , Risher has authored or co-authored seven papers , two pre-prints , and one book chapter . She has presented her work nationally in five invited talks and received grants from a variety of funding programs . In 2020 , Risher received a pilot award from the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute that focused on the impact of adverse childhood events on the emergence of behaviors that increase the propensity to develop an AUD . In 2023 , Risher received an R21 grant from the National Institutes of Health and , as part of a team of scientists across West Virginia , was awarded $ 20 million from the National Science Foundation to examine the ability of the nervous system to change during normal development and following perturbation . This award also aims to expand the capability and diversity of those working in the fields of neuroscience and data science by implementing specific education and workforce development activities that will engage students ( especially rural , first-generation college students and those from other traditionally underrepresented groups ) in these research areas throughout the state .
West Virginia Medical Journal • December 2023 • 15