Alcohol alters brain activity differently in male and female mice

According to new research published in eNeuro.

Alcohol abuse often goes hand in hand with anxiety and depression, and an area of ​​the brain called the amygdala is involved in both. Changes in synchronization brain activitywhich are called oscillations, between areas such as the amygdala and prefrontal cortex of the brain can influence anxious and fearful behavior in both rodents and humans. However, it is not known how alcohol can affect the amygdala network to change behavior.

DiLeo and others. injected alcohol into mice and measured the corresponding changes in oscillatory states in the amygdala. Alcohol affects amygdala oscillations differently in men and female mice, especially after repeated consumption of alcohol. In fact, the fluctuating state of females did not change after repeated alcohol consumption. The researchers repeated the experiment in mice lacking the subunit of the receptor associated with alcohol use and anxiety, which produced female-like network activity traits in males.

These results indicate that alcohol can induce a state-switched activity in the amygdala that can cause changes in anxiety and fear behaviors.