Neurobiological consequences of binge alcohol consumption during pubertal development.
Women who abuse alcohol are twice as likely to develop anxiety disorders compared with men, a phenomenon in which the underlying biological mechanisms are unknown. Research in the Pak lab aims to identify the interactive effects of alcohol and estrogen on arginine vasopressin (AVP), a well-established key molecular mediator of anxiety, in order to elucidate the molecular mechanisms predisposing women to increased risk of anxiety disorders. Adolescent binge drinking is a potential risk factor for the development of adult anxiety disorders due to the heightened stress reactivity that occurs as a direct result of increased circulating estrogens during pubertal development. Little is known about the long-term neurobiological consequences of alcohol consumption during puberty, which is a dynamic and important period of brain development that involves changes in cortical gray matter, synaptic connectivity, and increased neurogenesis. Exposure of alcohol during this critical period of extensive brain remodeling may result in permanent neuronal damage or disruptions in the formation of new neuronal connections, which might manifest as adult behavioral psychoses, including anxiety disorder.
