UNC Researchers Find Brain Circuit That Controls Binge Drinking

Researchers at UNC have identified a circuit between two regions of the brain that controls binge drinking of alcohol.

“The puzzle is starting to come together, and is telling us more than we ever knew about before,” said Todd Thiele, who led the study.

The two brain areas, the extended amygdala and the ventral tegmental area, have been implicated in alcohol binge drinking in the past, but this is the first time they have been identified as a functional circuit.

The neutrons that connect the two areas create a substance called the corticotropin releasing factor

“We now know that two brain regions that modulate stress and reward are part of a functional circuit that controls binge drinking and adds to the idea that manipulating the CRF system is an avenue for treating it,” he said.

Thiele and his colleagues showed that when a person drinks, they activate the neurons in the CRF system becoem active in the extended amygdala and act on the ventral tegmental area.

This interaction promotes sustained drinking that becomes a binge.

“It’s very important that we continue to try to identify alternative targets for treating alcohol use disorders,” Thiele said. “If you can stop somebody from binge drinking, you might prevent them from ultimately becoming alcoholics. We know that people who binge drink, especially in their teenage years, are much more likely to become alcoholic-dependent later in life.”

UNC Researchers Find Brain Circuit That Controls Binge Drinking

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