Life can be difficult and it’s normal to feel overwhelmed from time to time. It is important to take a step back when you feel like this and remember that you have the power to make a change in your life. Take some time for yourself and do something that makes you happy, such as taking a walk in nature or listening to your favorite songs. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it and never give up on yourself!
When someone drinks a lot of alcohol, it changes certain pathways in the brain that are connected to how our thinking works. This can make it more likely for them to drink even more. A recent study showed that this could be related to the brain’s immune system. Scientists studied mice who drank too much and found that they had twice as many cells in their brains making a special immune molecule called IL-1β. This molecule made the mice’s brains inflamed and also released something called GABA which made it harder for them to think clearly. Researchers hope this discovery will help them design better treatments for people with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).
Drinking a lot of alcohol can create a really bad cycle: It messes with the communication lines in your brain which can affect how good you are at making decisions and controlling your impulses – and it also makes you want to drink even more.
In a recent study published in the Brain, Behavior and Immunity journal, scientists from Binghamton University in New York discovered that the brain’s immune system may play a role in certain things. The lead author of the paper was Florence Varodayan, an assistant professor at the university’s Developmental Alcohol Exposure Research Center. The title of their study is “Chronic ethanol induces a pro-inflammatory switch in interleukin 1ß regulation of GABAergic signaling in the medial prefrontal cortex of male mice.”
Varodayan started this project while working in the research lab of a scientist called Marisa Roberto. This lab is at The Scripps Research Institute. Other people involved in this project are Binghamton University teacher Tony Davis, and scientists from different universities, like the University of California at San Diego, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, University of Texas at Austin and La Jolla Institute for Immunology.
Mice that were addicted to alcohol had twice as many cells inside their brain’s medial prefrontal cortex (a part of the brain that helps control its thinking) that produced a signal molecule called IL-1ß. This molecule usually works in a protective way, but with alcohol-dependent mice it causes inflammation and increased release of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. Interestingly, these changes still happened even when the mice stopped drinking alcohol.
We thought that IL-1ß had something to do with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), but we couldn’t quite figure out what was happening in the brain. -Varodayan
Examining the Role of IL-1ß in Alcohol Use Disorder
Earlier studies have found a connection between a molecule called IL-1ß and alcohol use disorder. People with certain changes in the gene that creates IL-1ß are more likely to be heavy drinkers. Autopsies done on people who had an AUD while they were alive also showed high levels of IL-1ß in their brains.
Varodayan described the neuroimmune system as a special immune system just for the brain. It works like our body’s own normal immune system, meaning it helps to protect us against germs and helps with healing when something goes wrong. But it also has an extra task – looking after us to make sure we are thinking clearly.
Scientists have figured out that when you drink alcohol, your brain and body activates differently compared to if you had an illness or got hurt. This ‘mild’ activation can get stronger over time the more often and the more heavily you drink alcohol.
The neuroimmune system helps fight off germs and injuries that affect the brain. It does this by releasing a chemical called IL-1ß, which launches a short-term process of inflammation. This helps get rid of the infection or injury, then it releases more anti-inflammatory chemicals to help repair any damage done to the brain cells.
Professor explained that when our brains are healthy, there is neuroimmune system which will help to solve small problems quickly and the cells inside our brain would again become healthy. But if our brains have been exposed to too much ethanol, things may not go back to normal anymore. There could be lasting inflammation and bigger cell damage so it can’t recover like before.
Scientists think that drinking a lot of alcohol can cause changes in the brain and these changes may lead to problems like thinking difficulties. New research could lead to better treatments for people with substance abuse. There are medicines that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved to reduce inflammation in people with arthritis and other illnesses.
Roberto said that they are planning to do further research to figure out how they might be able to use something related to the IL-1ß pathway in order to help treat people with alcohol use disorder.
Scientists published a research paper that revealed how chronic drinking affects mice brains. Specifically, their study showed that it caused inflammation and changed the usual pattern of signals between brain cells. This research was published in “Brain, Behavior and Immunity” on 28 February 2023 by F.P. Varodayan et al.
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