Researchers at the University of Kentucky have discovered that a drug originally designed for Alzheimer’s disease may hold potential for easing alcohol withdrawal.

The experimental medication, known as MW150, was developed to treat mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease by targeting a brain signaling pathway associated with inflammation called p38α MAPK.

In new findings from the university’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, scientists reported that MW150 appeared to reduce certain inflammatory markers during alcohol withdrawal in cell and animal studies.

The study was published in the journal *Alcohol* and led by neuroinflammation expert Linda Van Eldik.

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Caleb Bailey, Ph.D., a co-author of the research and a member of Van Eldik’s team, said the results provide “biological plausibility” that MW150 could lessen the brain inflammation linked to addiction and relapse.

He noted that alcohol use disorder remains difficult to treat because of frequent relapse episodes, particularly during withdrawal.

Bailey said that if follow-up experiments show the same anti-inflammatory effects in animal models, it could strengthen the case for developing MW150 as a treatment for patients dealing with chronic relapse caused by withdrawal.

A related compound called Neflamapimod is also being tested as a potential therapy for dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases, giving this research additional significance.

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“Because these compounds are already further along in development for other neurological diseases, it raises the possibility that they could someday be repurposed more efficiently for alcohol-related conditions if future studies continue to show promise,” Bailey said.

The researchers cautioned that the current experiments were conducted in controlled laboratory settings, so more work is needed before any conclusions can be applied to humans.

“Because they are ‘dish’-based models, they provide limited information regarding what happens in the full organism—or even the full brain for that matter,” Bailey explained.

He added that future studies in living animals will be required to learn more about how MW150 influences overall health and alcohol consumption during withdrawal.

Dr. Amy Swift, deputy chief medical officer at Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut, who was not part of the research, said the findings highlight a possible gap in how alcohol use disorder is currently treated.

She said that while detoxification medications are effective for managing withdrawal symptoms, their long-term impact on drinking behavior is limited.

“Put simply, detoxification does not treat alcohol use disorder itself; rather, it prevents the potentially fatal complications of alcohol withdrawal,” Swift said.

She suggested that adding supportive medications focused on brain health may improve recovery outcomes during the early stages of detoxification.

“Given the profound inflammatory effects alcohol has across multiple organ systems, it is worthwhile to investigate whether reducing neuroinflammation could improve a patient’s ability to engage in treatment earlier in recovery and, in turn, meaningfully alter their long-term relationship with alcohol,” she added.

Bailey emphasized that minimizing alcohol consumption remains the best strategy for staying healthy.

“We don’t currently have robust pharmacological treatments to mitigate damage caused by chronic alcohol consumption,” he said.

He also noted that as MW150 continues to be studied for dementia, understanding how it interacts with alcohol—both positively and negatively—will be essential for future patient outcomes.