Drunk Mice Reveal Brain Circuits Involved in Binge Drinking
Pinpointing brain circuits underlying binge drinking offers potential targets to develop interventions and reveals insights about neuronal wiring.
Specific sets of neurons within particular brain regions get activated in response to binge drinking, offering potential targets to develop treatments for compulsive alcohol consumption.
Alcohol has woven itself into celebration, comfort, and routine, but this habit can give way to binge drinking, leading to addiction.
Gilles Martin studies the neuronal circuits underlying binge alcohol drinking using mice models and techniques such as electrophysiology, optogenetics, and transcriptomics.
Whether it is a Friday-night drink with friends, a quiet glass of wine to unwind after a long day, or as a wedding toast, alcohol has become a part of our lives.
Author summary: Researchers study brain circuits to develop interventions for binge drinking.