Researchers found a link between the tendency to transition from moderate to binge drinking with a small section of genetic material called microRNA.
A research team found the level of a protein known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) increases in the brain when alcohol is consumed in moderation, this protein is believed to help prevent drinking disorders, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) reported. The researchers found when rodents consumed alcohol for a prolonged period of time, there was a significant decrease in the amount of BDNF in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), which is responsible for decision making. This decline was linked to an increase of microRNA called miR-30a-5p.
MicroRNAs have the power to lower levels of proteins such as proteins BDNF by binding to messenger RNA, which carries information to the protein-makers within the cell.
The researchers found if they increased levels of miR-30a-5p in the mPFC, BDNF was reduced, leading to a higher consumption of alcohol; when an inhibitor of miR-30a-5p was introduced it was associated with higher levels of BDNF and a moderate consumption of alcohol.
"Our results suggest BDNF protects against the transition from moderate to uncontrolled drinking and alcohol use disorders," said Dorit Ron, PhD, Endowed Chair of Cell Biology of Addiction in Neurology. "When there is a breakdown in this protective pathway, however, uncontrolled excessive drinking develops, and microRNAs are a possible mechanism in this breakdown.
The findings could help us understand why certain people develop alcohol-related disorders and lead to new therapies for these individuals.
Most treatments for alcohol disorders inhibit the brain's reward pathways, which makes life less pleasurable in general; this new method of treatment allows these pathways to continue to function.
"In searching for potential therapies for alcohol abuse, it is important that we look for future medications that target drinking without affecting the reward system in general. One problem with current alcohol abuse medications is that patients tend to stop taking them because they interfere with the sense of pleasure," Ron said.
The findings were published Oct. 21 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
