Insights into Overlapping Brain Networks for Anxiety and Alcohol Use Disorders

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a debilitating condition affecting over 30 million Americans. AUD commonly co-occurs with other disorders, like other substance use disorders, trauma-related disorders, and anxiety disorders. Of the numerous co-occurring disorders, anxiety disorders are the most pervasive: anxiety disorders serve as a risk factor for developing AUD, emerge as co-occurring disorders that maintain alcohol drinking, and impede the effectiveness of treatments for AUD. Anxiety, therefore, shapes the development, course, and treatment of AUDs. AUDs can also increase anxiety, suggesting a complex, bidirectional relation between alcohol use and anxiety. The intersection of AUDs and anxiety is also supported by their overlapping neural circuits, specifically neural circuits involved in stress responding, reward processing, and cognitive control. The current review highlights findings from several decades of research on how anxiety impacts the brain and treatment outcomes in AUDs. We also provide important considerations for future research, with the goal of reducing the shame and burden of alcohol use for individuals with AUD and their families.