A research group under the leadership of Linköping University Professor Markus Heilig has identified an enzyme whose production is turned off in nerve cells of the frontal lobe when alcohol dependence develops. The deficiency in this enzyme leads to continued use of alcohol despite adverse consequences.
It has long been suspected that people with alcohol dependence have impaired function in the frontal lobes of the brain, but the underlying biological mechanisms have not been known. The research team behind the paper, which includes researchers from both Linköping University and University of Miami, is the first to identify this molecular mechanism.
The discovery could mean completely new possibilities for treating alcoholism.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-08-people-alcohol-lack-important-enzyme.html
Paper: http://www.nature.com/mp/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/mp2016131a.html
It has long been suspected that people with alcohol dependence have impaired function in the frontal lobes of the brain, but the underlying biological mechanisms have not been known. The research team behind the paper, which includes researchers from both Linköping University and University of Miami, is the first to identify this molecular mechanism.
The discovery could mean completely new possibilities for treating alcoholism.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-08-people-alcohol-lack-important-enzyme.html
Paper: http://www.nature.com/mp/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/mp2016131a.html