BRAIN ACTIVITY LINKED TO ALCOHOL RELAPSE RISK IN ABSTINENT MICE

Researchers studying mice found that a specific brain region shows heightened activity before compulsive drinking occurs following a period of abstinence. The study involved giving mice long-term voluntary access to alcohol, followed by forced abstinence. A subset of the mice subsequently developed aversion-resistant alcohol intake, meaning they drank alcohol even when quinine was added to make it bitter. These mice consumed larger quantities of the bitter alcohol than mice that had not experienced forced abstinence.

The research team monitored activity in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a small brain structure previously associated with alcohol use disorder symptoms including anxiety and depression. Abstinent mice that had developed compulsive drinking behaviour showed more than double the activity in this brain area compared to mice without forced abstinence experience. The team observed this elevated BNST activity even before giving abstinent mice access to bitter alcohol. When abstinent mice re-entered the setting where alcohol had previously been available, they attempted to drink from a spout containing only water, and these attempts coincided with BNST activity.

The findings suggest that brain activity changes during abstinence may increase vulnerability to relapse in alcohol use disorder. The research team noted that screening for BNST activity when someone is given access to alcohol might potentially help identify people at risk of relapsing. The study contributes to understanding why some individuals experience increased compulsive drinking following periods of abstinence, despite the known health benefits of not consuming alcohol.