- New research undertaken by scientists from Scripps Research and the University of Bologna reveals that combining genetic susceptibility with alcohol use disorder (AUD) may accelerate the advancement of Alzheimer’s disease.
- The research, conducted in mice, demonstrates that repeated episodes of alcohol intoxication in rodents with a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s lead to altered gene expression patterns, indicating a faster progression of the disease in their brains.
- These findings shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying memory loss and may have broader implications for understanding and treating Alzheimer’s disease, regardless of alcohol consumption.
A new study reveals that mice exposed to regular high levels of alcohol exhibited cognitive decline approximately two months earlier than their typical progression when not exposed to alcohol.
Introducing ethanol to a genetic background prone to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) accelerates the onset of the condition by several months or even a few years.
While limited research has investigated the impact of alcohol on worsening Alzheimer’s disease, epidemiological studies have suggested that alcohol use disorder may increase the overall risk of developing dementia.
In order to investigate the impact of alcohol on Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers conducted an experiment where mice were exposed to repeated alcohol consumption over several months, reflecting the levels of alcohol exposure seen in individuals with alcohol use disorder.
They compared the behavior of control mice with mice that possessed three specific gene mutations associated with susceptibility to Alzheimer’s disease.
The findings were recently published in eNeuro.
Dr. Keith Vossel, a professor of neurology and the director of the Mary S. Easton Center for Research and Care at UCLA, not involved in the study, told Medical News Today that the new research seems to complement previous findings about dementia and alcohol use.
“Excessive…
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