A new preclinical study suggests that the hormone estrogen plays a key role in regulating binge drinking in females. The research found that circulating estrogen increases binge alcohol consumption in females, contributing to known sex differences in this behavior. This is the first study to establish this link.
The hormone estrogen regulates binge drinking in females, causing them to 'pregame' -- consume large quantities of alcohol in the first 30 minutes after it's offered, according to a preclinical study. The study establishes -- for what is thought to be the first time -- that circulating estrogen increases binge alcohol consumption in females and contributes to known sex differences in this behavior.
But what makes this neural circuit more excitable in females?"Estrogen has such powerful effects on so many behaviors, particularly in females," Dr. Pleil said."So, it makes sense that it would also modulate drinking." So, the researchers tested estrogen that had been doctored so it could not enter cells and bind to nuclear receptors -- a feat of chemical engineering performed by Dr. Jacob Geri, assistant professor of pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medicine. They determined that when estrogen promotes bingeing, the hormone is binding to receptors on the neurons' surface, where it directly modulates cell-cell communication.
"All of the infrastructure is there in males, too: the estrogen receptors and the basic circuit organization," Dr. Pleil said. The only difference will be the source of the estrogen, which in males without an ovarian source relies on local conversion of testosterone to estrogen in the brain. Research investigating fetal alcohol syndrome exclusively examines maternal alcohol exposure. However, because men drink more and are more likely to binge drink than women, scientists set out ...
Estrogen Binge Drinking Females Alcohol Consumption Sex Differences
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