Study links brain changes during alcohol abstinence to heightened relapse risk in mice
Researchers found that mice forced to stop drinking show increased activity in a brain region linked to compulsive alcohol consumption, suggesting a possible marker for relapse risk.
Scientists examined how long-term voluntary alcohol access followed by forced abstinence affected mouse behavior, discovering that some animals persisted in drinking even when quinine made the alcohol extremely bitter. These mice consumed larger volumes than those not subjected to abstinence, demonstrating aversion-resistant drinking. Activity recordings showed that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) lit up more than twofold in abstinent mice that sought the bitter alcohol, and this heightened activity was present before the alcohol was reintroduced.
The researchers propose that measuring BNST responses could help screen for people at heightened risk of relapse. Ongoing work aims to manipulate specific BNST neurons in mice and to assess whether similar patterns appear in humans during early abstinence, potentially guiding future clinical trials.
Why it matters
Identifying brain markers of relapse could improve treatment targeting for millions with alcohol use disorder.
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