Transcriptional Dysregulation of Cholesterol Synthesis Underlies Hyposensitivity to GABA in the Ventral Tegmental Area During Acute Alcohol Withdrawal

The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a dopaminergic brain area that is critical in the development and maintenance of addiction. During withdrawal from chronic ethanol exposure, the response of VTA neurons to GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is reduced through an epigenetically regulated mechanism. In the current study, a whole-genome transcriptomic approach was used to investigate the underlying molecular mechanism of GABA hyposensitivity in the VTA during withdrawal after chronic ethanol exposure.

Source: Biological Psychiatry - August 8, 2023 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Chang You, Harish R. Krishnan, Ying Chen, Huaibo Zhang, Jenny Drnevich, Graziano Pinna, Alessandro Guidotti, Elizabeth J. Glover, Amy W. Lasek, Dennis R. Grayson, Subhash C. Pandey, Mark S. Brodie Tags: Archival Report Source Type: research