Dan Anderson Research Award - 2000
Dr. Henri Begleiter, Ph.D.
Dr. Henri Begleiter, a pioneer and leader in research on the biological underpinnings of alcoholism, earned the 2000 Dan Anderson Research Award. The award, sponsored by the Butler Center for Research at Hazelden, recognizes the distinguished contribution of a researcher who has advanced the scientific knowledge of addiction recovery.
Begleiter, former professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the College of Medicine at the State University of New York in Brooklyn, New York, was honored for his distinguished contributions to the field of alcoholism in the areas of neuroscience and the genetic link to alcoholism. He won the award for his published paper titled "What Is Inherited in the Predisposition Toward Alcoholism? A Proposed Model" (Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, July 1999), which summarized 20 years of his innovative research. "Dr. Begleiter's work is the result of an unusual synthesis of cutting-edge research accompanied by clinical sensitivity," said A. Thomas McLellan, PhD, professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. "His work shows the value of dogged determination in pursuing the question, What is inherited in alcoholism?"
Begleiter was the first to characterize brain dysfunction in alcoholics and is known for providing the first breakthrough that genes are involved in the development of alcoholism. He discovered neurophysiological deficits in some brain systems of abstinent chronic alcoholics. His studies in this area indicated that with long-term abstinence, many of the deleterious effects of alcohol on the brain improved substantially, while a few anomalies, or irregularities, did not recover with prolonged abstinence (as much as 10 years). From this, Begleiter and his coworkers published a groundbreaking seminal study in Science in 1984 in which they demonstrated that indeed these neurophysiological anomalies were present in offspring of alcoholics who had never been exposed to alcohol or other drugs. These findings were subsequently replicated throughout the world.
The identification of this neuroelectric deficit in the offspring of alcoholics indicated that it represented a trait rather than a state variable, suggesting genetic underpinnings. To pursue this further, Begleiter formed a national collaborative study on the genetics of alcoholics (COGA). Focusing on densely affected families (more than 10,000 subjects), this large family study has found that this neuroelectric deficit is not only present in male and female alcoholics and their offspring, but is also more likely to be present in their first-degree unaffected relatives. This anomaly provided the first biological phenotype to be used in the search for genes predisposing to alcoholism.
Begleiter hypothesized that the genetic predisposition to develop alcoholism involves an initial state of central nervous system (CNS) disinhibition/hyperexcitability. The brain anomalies reflect CNS hyperexcitability that is temporarily alleviated by the ingestion of alcohol. It is this hyperexcitability that is heritable and thus increases one's risk for alcoholism.
"It is not alcoholism that is inherited, it is a biological vulnerability to the disease that is inherited," said Begleiter.
One value of Begleiter's research is that it will help us prevent alcoholism in people predisposed to the disease. By identifying those at risk and educating them about their predisposition, we can help prevent onset of the disease. Begleiter's findings will also help alcoholics in treatment gain a better understanding of the nature of their disease and thus may help prevent relapse. And perhaps most importantly, knowing the area/cells of the brain affected may result in the development of medication that can mediate the hyperexcitability.
Begleiter was quick to point out that a drug will in no way represent a magic bullet treatment for alcoholism and other drug addictions. It would not replace treatment as we know it today, but would serve as an adjunct to care, because alcoholism is not entirely a biological disease. "It has psychosocial factors as well," he said. "Not every child of an alcoholic will become alcoholic."
"Dr. Begleiter gave us one of the best theories we have at this point to understand what it is that might be inherited in alcoholism," said Patricia Owen, PhD, director of the Butler Center for Research. "The closer we get, the better we'll be at preventing alcoholism, educating alcoholic patients about the disease, and perhaps in treating it."
Begleiter received the award on May 18, 2001 at the main campus of Hazelden in Center City, Minn. He will receive a $2,000 honorarium with the award.
