Higher alcohol consumption during estrogen peaks
To explain this mechanism, Weill Cornell Medicine researchers monitored hormone levels throughout the cycle (4-5 day estrous cycle) in female mice. Why follow this path? “Estrogens have such powerful effects on many behaviors, especially in females,” said Dr. Pleil, in a statement. “So it makes sense that it also modulates alcohol consumption.”
Alcohol was thus given to female mice: the researchers discovered that the higher their estrogen levels, the more alcohol they drank. And this “bulimia” was indeed correlated with increased activity of BNST neurons. “When a female takes her first sip of alcohol, these neurons go crazy,” Dr. Pleil explained. “And if she has high estrogen levels, they get even crazier. » This additional neuronal activity would encourage female mice to drink more, particularly in the 30 minutes following the first sip.
A treatment for the management of alcoholism?
The scientists further succeeded in showing how estrogen became the conductor of mouse behavior. This binds to receptors on the surface of neurons, where it directly modulates communication between cells. “We believe this is the first time anyone has demonstrated that during a normal estrous cycle, endogenous estrogen produced by the ovaries can use such a rapid mechanism to control behavior,” Dr. Pleil said.
So, inhibiting the enzyme that synthesizes estrogen could be a treatment for excessive alcohol consumption when hormone levels are at their highest. This drug has already been approved by the FDA for the treatment of women with hormone-dependent cancer. “The combination of this drug with compounds that modulate the downstream effects of chemicals produced by BNST neurons could potentially provide a new targeted approach for the treatment of alcohol use disorders,” said Dr. Pleil.
This study offers new insight into female behavior regarding alcohol. “We know much less about what drives alcohol use in women because most studies have been done on men,” said Dr. Kristen Pleil. And this despite the fact that women are more sensitive to the negative effects of alcohol on health than men.
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Source: Destination Santé
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