Health
Brain activity linked to alcohol relapse risk in mouse study
Researchers found heightened activity in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis among abstinent mice before compulsive drinking resumed.
The short version
- Researchers studying mice found that forced alcohol abstinence led to increased activity in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) before drinking resumed.
- A subset of abstinent mice subsequently developed aversion-resistant drinking, consuming large amounts of alcohol even when made bitter.
- The findings point to the BNST as a potential predictive biomarker for alcohol relapse risk.
- Researchers are currently investigating whether similar neural patterns occur in humans during early abstinence.
Key facts
- Mice subjected to long-term voluntary alcohol access followed by forced abstinence exhibited more than double the neural activity in the BNST compared to mice without forced abstinence.[ScienceDaily]
- The elevated BNST activity was observed prior to mice being reintroduced to alcohol, indicating the neural shift precedes the resumption of drinking.[ScienceDaily]
- Abstinent mice with heightened BNST activity developed aversion-resistant alcohol intake, continuing to consume alcohol despite the addition of bitter quinine.[ScienceDaily]
- Researchers are investigating whether human patients with alcohol use disorder in early abstinence exhibit similar BNST activity patterns.[ScienceDaily]
What remains uncertain
- The exact biological mechanisms driving increased BNST activity and the specific populations of brain cells involved remain unknown.[ScienceDaily]
- It remains to be established whether the BNST activity patterns observed in mice translate reliably to human clinical settings for relapse screening.[ScienceDaily]
Sources
- Quitting alcohol may prime the brain for relapseScienceDaily - Health