Abstract
The dose-dependent effects of alcohol, where the initial euphoric and stimulant effects initiated by the exposure to low ethanol levels can quickly lead to a deadly consequence are well established. Thus, high blood alcohol concentration (BAC), as seen in alcoholics, can cause significant damage to various organs. At low concentrations (e.g., 10 mg% or lower), however, beneficial effects of alcohol, particularly on cardiovascular function have been reported. Although, the latter assertion has been challenged by recent epidemiological studies, protective effects of low alcohol concentrations in vitro and in vivo relevant to the central nervous system (CNS) is well documented. In this review, the mechanism(s) leading to the detrimental effects of high BAC, as well as the beneficial effects of low BAC will be discussed. In addition, gender consideration is touched upon. Although further investigation is clearly warranted, it may be concluded that at least some of the beneficial outcomes of low BAC, including possible neuroprotection and antidepressant-like effects, may be due to elevation of the neurotropic factors and reduction of inflammatory mediators, whereas detrimental outcomes associated with high BAC, including neurotoxicity and depressive-like behavior may be due to reduction in neurotropic factors and elevation of inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, new research strategies are suggested.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Almeida RD, Manadas BJ, Melo CV et al (2005) Neuroprotection by BDNF against glutamate-induced apoptotic cell death is mediated by ERK and PI3-kinase pathways. Cell Death Differ 12(10):1329–1343. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.cdd.4401662
Anderson G, Maes M (2014) Oxidative/nitrosative stress and immuno-inflammatory pathways in depression: treatment implications. Curr Pharm Des 20(23):3812–3847. https://doi.org/10.2174/13816128113196660738
Arancibia S, Silhol M, Mouliere F et al (2008) Protective effect of BDNF against beta-amyloid induced neurotoxicity in vitro and in vivo in rats. Neurobiol Dis 31(3):316–326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbd.2008.05.012
Aronowski J, Strong R, Shirzadi A, Grotta JC (2003) Ethanol plus caffeine (caffeinol) for treatment of ischemic stroke. Stroke 34(5):1246–1251. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.STR.0000068170.80517.B3
Barker JM, Taylor JR, De Vries TJ, Peters J (2015) Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and addiction: pathological versus therapeutic effects on drug seeking. Brain Res 1628(Pt A):68–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2014.10.058
Bath KG, Schilit A, Lee FS (2013) Stress effects on BDNF expression: effects of age, sex, and form of stress. Neuroscience 239:149–156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.01.074
Baum-Baicker C (1985) The psychological benefits of moderate alcohol consumption: a review of the literature. Drug Alcohol Depend 5(4):305–22
Becker JB, Koob GF (2016) Sex differences in animal models: focus on addiction. Pharmacol Rev 68(2):242–263. https://doi.org/10.1124/pr.115.011163
Becker A, Ehret AM, Kirsch P (2017) From the neurobiological basis of comorbid alcohol dependence and depression to psychological treatment strategies: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry 17(1):153. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-017-1324-0
Bell RL, Lopez MF, Cui C et al (2015) Ibudilast reduces alcohol drinking in multiple animal models of alcohol dependence. Addict Biol 20(1):38–42. https://doi.org/10.1111/adb.12106
Bell RL, Hauser SR, McClintick J et al (2016) Chapter two-ethanol-associated changes in glutamate reward neurocircuitry: a minireview of clinical and preclinical genetic findings. Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci 137:41–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pmbts.2015.10.018
Bjorkholm C, Monteggia LM (2016) BDNF—a key transducer of antidepressant effects. Neuropharmacology 102:72–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2015.10.034
Boschen KE, Klintsova AY (2017) Chapter nine-neurotrophins in the brain: interaction with alcohol exposure during development. Vitam Horm 104:197–242. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.vh.2016.10.008
Bredt DS, Furey ML, Chen G, Lovenberg T, Drevets WC, Manji HK (2015) Translating depression biomarkers for improved targeted therapies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 59:1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.09.013
Briones TL, Woods J (2013) Chronic binge-like alcohol consumption in adolescence causes depression-like symptoms possibly mediated by the effects of BDNF on neurogenesis. Neuroscience 254:324–334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.09.031
Broadwater MA, Lee S-H, Yu Y et al (2017) Adolescent alcohol exposure decreases frontostriatal resting-state functional connectivity in adulthood. Addict Biol https://doi.org/10.1111/adb.12530
Brodowicz J, Przegaliński E, Müller CP, Filip M (2017) Ceramide and its related neurochemical networks as targets for some brain disorder therapies. Neurotox Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12640-017-9798-6
Brown D, Tamas A, Reglödi D et al (2014) PACAP protects against inflammatory-mediated toxicity in dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells: implication for Parkinson’s disease. Neurotox Res 26(3):230–239. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12640-014-9468-x
Brust J (2010) Ethanol and cognition: indirect effects, neurotoxicity and neuroprotection: a review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 7(4):1540–1557. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph7041540
Casañas-Sánchez V, Pérez JA, Quinto-Alemany D, Díaz M (2016) Sub-toxic ethanol exposure modulates gene expression and enzyme activity of antioxidant systems to provide neuroprotection in hippocampal HT22 cells. Front Physiol 7:312
Castrén E (2013) Neuronal network plasticity and recovery from depression. JAMA Psychiatry 70(9):983–989. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.1
Chan CB, Ye K (2017) Sex differences in brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling and functions. J Neurosci Res 95(1-2):328–335. https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.23863
Churchill SA, Farrell L (2017) Alcohol and depression: evidence from the 2014 health survey for England. Drug Alcohol Depend 180:86–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.08.006
Ciccocioppo R, Panocka I, Froldi R, Colombo G, Gessa GL, Massi M (1999) Antidepressant-like effect of ethanol revealed in the forced swimming test in Sardinian alcohol-preferring rats. Psychopharmacology 144(2):151–157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002130050988
Crews FT, Vetreno RP (2016) Mechanisms of neuroimmune gene induction in alcoholism. Psychopharmacology 233(9):1543–1557. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-015-3906-1
Crews FT, Walter TJ, Coleman LG, Vetreno RP (2017) Toll-like receptor signaling and stages of addiction. Psychopharmacology 234(9–10):1483–1498. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-017-4560-6
Cui C, Koob GF (2017) Titrating tipsy targets: the neurobiology of low-dose alcohol. Trends Pharmacol Sci 38(6):556–568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tips.2017.03.002
Davis MI (2008) Ethanol–BDNF interactions: still more questions than answers. Pharmacol Ther 118(1):36–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pharmthera.2008.01.003
Di Benedetto B, Rupprecht R, Czéh B (2013) Talking to the synapse: how antidepressants can target glial cells to reshape brain circuits. Curr Drug Targets 14(11):1329–1335. https://doi.org/10.2174/1389450111314110011
Duman RS (2014) Pathophysiology of depression and innovative treatments: remodeling glutamatergic synaptic connections. Dialogues Clin Neurosci 16:11
Duman RS (2017) Sex-specific disease-associated modules for depression. Nat Med 23(9):1015–1017. https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.4391
Edenberg HJ, Foroud T (2014) Chapter 32—Genetics of alcoholism. In: Sullivan EV, Pfefferbaum A (eds) Handbook of clinical neurology. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 561–571
Elofson J, Gongvatana W, Carey KB (2013) Alcohol use and cerebral white matter compromise in adolescence. Addict Behav 38(7):2295–2305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2013.03.001
Felger JC, Lotrich FE (2013) Inflammatory cytokines in depression: neurobiological mechanisms and therapeutic implications. Neuroscience 246:199–229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.04.060
Fontaine CJ, Patten AR, Sickmann HM, Helfer JL, Christie BR (2016) Effects of pre-natal alcohol exposure on hippocampal synaptic plasticity: sex, age and methodological considerations. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 64:12–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.02.014
de Gaetano G, Costanzo S, Di Castelnuovo A et al (2016) Effects of moderate beer consumption on health and disease: a consensus document. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 26(6):443–467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2016.03.007
Gahring LC, Carlson NG, Wieggel WA, Howard J, Rogers SW (1999) Alcohol blocks TNFα but not other cytokine-mediated neuroprotection to NMDA. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 23(10):1571–1579
Ge Y, Belcher SM, Light KE (2004) Alterations of cerebellar mRNA specific for BDNF, p75 NTR, and TrkB receptor isoforms occur within hours of ethanol administration to 4-day-old rat pups. Dev Brain Res 151(1-2):99–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devbrainres.2004.04.002
Ghosal S, Bang E, Yue W et al (2017) Activity-dependent brain-derived neurotrophic factor release is required for the rapid antidepressant actions of scopolamine. Biol Psychiatry 83(1):29–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.06.017
Gilder DA, Wall TL, Ehlers CL (2004) Comorbidity of select anxiety and affective disorders with alcohol dependence in Southwest California Indians. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 28(12):1805–1813. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ALC.0000148116.27875.B0
Gold SM, Irwin MR (2009) Depression and immunity: inflammation and depressive symptoms in multiple sclerosis. Immunol Allergy Clin N Am 29(2):309–320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iac.2009.02.008
Gulbins E, Palmada M, Reichel M et al (2013) Acid sphingomyelinase-ceramide system mediates effects of antidepressant drugs. Nat Med 19(7):934–938. https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.3214
Han C, Bae H, Won S-D, Roh S, Kim DJ (2015) The relationship between brain-derived neurotrophic factor and cognitive functions in alcohol-dependent patients: a preliminary study. Ann General Psychiatry 14(1):30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12991-015-0065-z
Harris RA, Bajo M, Bell RL et al (2017) Genetic and pharmacologic manipulation of TLR4 has minimal impact on ethanol consumption in rodents. J Neurosci 37(5):1139–1155. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2002-16.2016
Hasin DS, Grant BF (2002) Major depression in 6050 former drinkers: association with past alcohol dependence. Arch Gen Psychiatry 59(9):794–800. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.59.9.794
Hauser SR, Getachew B, Taylor RE, Tizabi Y (2011) Alcohol induced depressive-like behavior is associated with a reduction in hippocampal BDNF. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 100(2):253–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2011.08.014
Heberlein A, Käser M, Lichtinghagen R et al (2014) TNF-α and IL-6 serum levels: neurobiological markers of alcohol consumption in alcohol-dependent patients? Alcohol 48(7):671–676. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2014.08.003
Hurley LL, Tizabi Y (2013) Neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and depression. Neurotox Res 23(2):131–144. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12640-012-9348-1
Hurley LL, Taylor RE, Tizabi Y (2012) Positive and negative effects of alcohol and nicotine and their interactions: a mechanistic review. Neurotox Res 21(1):57–69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12640-011-9275-6
Jones OD (2015) Astrocyte-mediated metaplasticity in the hippocampus: help or hindrance? Neuroscience 309:113–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.08.035
Kalejaiye O, Bhatti BH, Taylor RE, Tizabi Y (2013) Nicotine blocks the depressogenic effects of alcohol: implications for drinking-smoking co-morbidity. J Drug Alcohol Res 2:235709
Kalejaiye O, Getachew B, Ferguson CL, Taylor RE, Tizabi Y (2017) Alcohol-induced increases in inflammatory cytokines are attenuated by nicotine in a brain-selective region in male rats. J Drug Alcohol Res 6:236036
Kim JW, Lee DY, Lee BC et al (2012) Alcohol and cognition in the elderly: a review. Psychiatry Investig 9(1):8–16. https://doi.org/10.4306/pi.2012.9.1.8
Kimura A, Namekata K, Guo X, Harada C, Harada T (2016) Neuroprotection, growth factors and BDNF-TrkB signalling in retinal degeneration. Int J Mol Sci 17(10):1584. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms17091584
Koob GF, Volkow ND (2016) Neurobiology of addiction: a neurocircuitry analysis. Lancet Psychiatry 3(8):760–773. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(16)00104-8
Kornhuber J, Medlin A, Bleich S et al (2005) High activity of acid sphingomyelinase in major depression. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 112(11):1583–1590. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-005-0374-5
Kowiański P, Lietzau G, Czuba E, Waśkow M, Steliga A, Moryś J (2017) BDNF: a key factor with multipotent impact on brain signaling and synaptic plasticity. Cell Mol Neurobiol:1–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-017-0510-4
Kucerova J, Babinska Z, Horska K, Kotolova H (2015) The common pathophysiology underlying the metabolic syndrome, schizophrenia and depression. A review. Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub 159(2):208–214. https://doi.org/10.5507/bp.2014.060
Liu W, Crews FT (2017) Persistent decreases in adult subventricular and hippocampal neurogenesis following adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure. Front Behav Neurosci 11:151. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00151
Luo J (2014) Autophagy and ethanol neurotoxicity. Autophagy 10(12):2099–2108. https://doi.org/10.4161/15548627.2014.981916
Lynch WJ (2017) Modeling the development of drug addiction in male and female animals. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2017.06.006
Maceyka M, Spiegel S (2014) Sphingolipid metabolites in inflammatory disease. Nature 510(7503):58–67. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13475
Maes M, Yirmyia R, Noraberg J et al (2009) The inflammatory & neurodegenerative (I&ND) hypothesis of depression: leads for future research and new drug developments in depression. Metab Brain Dis 24(1):27–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11011-008-9118-1
Maggs JL, Staff J (2017) No benefit of light to moderate drinking for mortality from coronary heart disease when better comparison groups and controls included: a commentary on Zhao et al. (2017). J Stud Alcohol Drugs 78(3):387–388. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2017.78.387
Manavalan S, Getachew B, Manaye KF et al (2017) PACAP protects against ethanol and nicotine toxicity in SH-SY5Y cells: implications for drinking-smoking co-morbidity. Neurotox Res 32(1):8–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12640-017-9727-8
Marco EM, Peñasco S, Hernández MD et al (2017) Long-term effects of intermittent adolescent alcohol exposure in male and female rats. Front Behav Neurosci 11:233. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00233
Martin G (2012) Network analysis and the connectopathies: current research and future approaches. Nonlinear Dyn Psychol Life Sci 16:79–90
Maruyama W, Yi H, Takahashi T et al (2004) Neuroprotective function of R-(−)-1-(benzofuran-2-yl)-2-propylaminopentane,[R-(−)-BPAP], against apoptosis induced by N-methyl (R) salsolinol, an endogenous dopaminergic neurotoxin, in human dopaminergic neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Life Sci 75(1):107–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lfs.2003.12.001
Miguel-Hidalgo JJ, Hall KO, Bonner H et al (2017) MicroRNA-21: expression in oligodendrocytes and correlation with low myelin mRNAs in depression and alcoholism. Prog Neuro-Psychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 79(Pt B):503–514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.08.009
Míguez-Burbano MJ, Espinoza L, Vargas M, LaForest D (2014) Mood disorders and BDNF relationship with alcohol drinking trajectories among PLWH receiving care. J Alcohol Drug Depend 2:148
Miller MB, Donahue ML, Carey KB, Scott-Sheldon LAJ (2017) Insomnia treatment in the context of alcohol use disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Drug Alcohol Depend 181:200–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.09.029
Misiak B, Beszłej JA, Kotowicz K et al (2018) Cytokine alterations and cognitive impairment in major depressive disorder: from putative mechanisms to novel treatment targets. Prog Neuro-Psychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 80(Pt C):177–188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.04.021
Misslin C, Velasco-Estevez M, Albert M, O’Sullivan SA, Dev KK (2017) Phospholipase A2 is involved in galactosylsphingosine-induced astrocyte toxicity, neuronal damage and demyelination. PLoS One 12(11):e0187217. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0187217
Mitchelmore C, Gede L (2014) Brain derived neurotrophic factor: epigenetic regulation in psychiatric disorders. Brain Res 1586:162–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2014.06.037
Müller N (2014) Immunology of major depression. Neuroimmunomodulation 21(2-3):123–130. https://doi.org/10.1159/000356540
Müller CP, Kornhuber J (2017) Biological evidence for paradoxical improvement of psychiatric disorder symptoms by addictive drugs. Trends Pharmacol Sci 38(6):501–502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tips.2017.03.005
Müller CP, Schumann G (2011) Drugs as instruments: a new framework for non-addictive psychoactive drug use. Behav Brain Sci 34(6):293–310. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X11000057
Müller CP, Kalinichenko LS, Tiesel J et al (2017) Paradoxical antidepressant effects of alcohol are related to acid sphingomyelinase and its control of sphingolipid homeostasis. Acta Neuropathol 133(3):463–483. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-016-1658-6
Muñoz G, Urrutia JC, Burgos CF et al (2015) Low concentrations of ethanol protect against synaptotoxicity induced by Aβ in hippocampal neurons. Neurobiol Aging 36(2):845–856. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2014.10.017
Naoi M, Maruyama W, Nagy GM (2004) Dopamine-derived salsolinol derivatives as endogenous monoamine oxidase inhibitors: occurrence, metabolism and function in human brains. Neurotoxicology 25(1-2):193–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0161-813X(03)00099-8
Naoi M, Inaba-Hasegawa K, Shamoto-Nagai M, Maruyama W (2017) Neurotrophic function of phytochemicals for neuroprotection in aging and neurodegenerative disorders: modulation of intracellular signaling and gene expression. J Neural Transm 124(12):1515–1527. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-017-1797-5
Neupane SP, Lien L, Martinez P et al (2014) High frequency and intensity of drinking may attenuate increased inflammatory cytokine levels of major depression in alcohol-use disorders. CNS Neurosci Ther 20(10):898–904. https://doi.org/10.1111/cns.12303
O’Keefe JH, Bhatti SK, Bajwa A et al (2014) Alcohol and cardiovascular health: the dose makes the poison or the remedy. Mayo Clinic Proc 89(3):382–393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2013.11.005
Ogłodek E, Szota A, Just M, Moś D, Araszkiewicz A (2014) The role of the neuroendocrine and immune systems in the pathogenesis of depression. Pharmacol Rep 66(5):776–781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pharep.2014.04.009
Oliveira TG, Chan RB, Bravo FV et al (2016) The impact of chronic stress onthe rat brain lipidome. Mol Psychiatry 21(1):80–88. https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2015.14
Palmisano M, Pandey SC (2017) Epigenetic mechanisms of alcoholism and stress-related disorders. Alcohol 60:7–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2017.01.001
Pascual M, Montesinos J, Marcos M et al (2017) Gender differences in the inflammatory cytokine and chemokine profiles induced by binge ethanol drinking in adolescence. Addict Biol 22(6):1829–1841. https://doi.org/10.1111/adb.12461
Petrakis I, Gonzalez G, Rosenheck R, Krystal J (2002) Comorbidity of alcoholism and psychiatric disorders. https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh26-2/81-89.htm
Ponomarev I, Stelly CE, Morikawa H, Blednov YA, Mayfield RD, Harris RA (2017) Mechanistic insights into epigenetic modulation of ethanol consumption. Alcohol 60:95–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2017.01.016
Postal M, Appenzeller S (2015) The importance of cytokines and autoantibodies in depression. Autoimmun Rev 14(1):30–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autrev.2014.09.001
Rachdaoui N, Li L, Willard B, Kasumov T, Previs S, Sarkar D (2017) Turnover of histones and histone variants in postnatal rat brain: effects of alcohol exposure. Clin Epigenetics 9(1):117. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13148-017-0416-5
Ramlochansingh C, Taylor RE, Tizabi Y (2011) Toxic effects of low alcohol and nicotine combinations in SH-SY5Y cells are apoptotically mediated. Neurotox Res 20(3):263–269. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12640-011-9239-x
Ray LA, Bujarski S, Shoptaw S, Roche DJO, Heinzerling K, Miotto K (2017) Development of the neuroimmune modulator ibudilast for the treatment of alcoholism: a randomized, placebo-controlled, human laboratory trial. Neuropsychopharmacology 42(9):1776–1788. https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2017.10
Reichel M, Greiner E, Richter-Schmidinger T et al (2010) Increased acid sphingomyelinase activity in peripheral blood cells of acutely intoxicated patients with alcohol dependence. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 34(1):46–50. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-0277.2009.01064.x
Reilly MT, Noronha A, Goldman D, Koob GF (2017) Genetic studies of alcohol dependence in the context of the addiction cycle. Neuropharmacology 122:3–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.01.017
de Renaud S, de Lorgeril M (1992) Wine, alcohol, platelets, and the French paradox for coronary heart disease. Lancet 339(8808):1523–1526. https://doi.org/10.1016/0140-6736(92)91277-F
Rezvani AH, Levin ED, Cauley M, Getachew B, Tizabi Y (2017) Ketamine differentially attenuates alcohol intake in male versus female alcohol preferring (P) rats. J Drug Alcohol Res 6:1–6. https://doi.org/10.4303/jdar/236030
Rimm EB, Klatsky A, Grobbee D, Stampfer MJ (1996) Review of moderate alcohol consumption and reduced risk of coronary heart disease: is the effect due to beer, wine, or spirits? BMJ 312(7033):731–736. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.312.7033.731
Ruda-Kucerova J, Babinska Z, Luptak M, Getachew B, Tizabi Y (2018) Both ketamine and NBQX attenuate alcohol drinking in male Wistar rats. Neurosci Lett (In Press)
Sakharkar AJ, Vetreno RP, Zhang H, Kokare DM, Crews FT, Pandey SC (2016) A role for histone acetylation mechanisms in adolescent alcohol exposure-induced deficits in hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression and neurogenesis markers in adulthood. Brain Struct Funct 221(9):4691–4703. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-016-1196-y
Sanchez-Marin L, Pavon FJ, Decara J et al (2017) Effects of intermittent alcohol exposure on emotion and cognition: a potential role for the endogenous cannabinoid system and neuroinflammation. Front Behav Neurosci 11:15
Schneider M, Levant B, Reichel M, Gulbins E, Kornhuber J, Müller CP (2017) Lipids in psychiatric disorders and preventive medicine. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 76(Pt B):336–362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.06.002
Schuckit MA, Tipp JE, Bergman M, Reich W, Hesselbrock VM, Smith TL (1997) Comparison of induced and independent major depressive disorders in 2,945 alcoholics. Am J Psychiatry 154(7):948–957. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.154.7.948
Shah A, Carreno FR, Frazer A (2014) Therapeutic modalities for treatment resistant depression: focus on vagal nerve stimulation and ketamine. Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci 12(2):83–93. https://doi.org/10.9758/cpn.2014.12.2.83
Shield KD, Parry C, Rehm J (2014) Chronic diseases and conditions related to alcohol use. Alcohol Res Curr Rev 35:155–171
Shojaei S, Ghavami S, Panjehshahin MR, Owji AA (2015) Effects of ethanol on the expression level of various BDNF mRNA isoforms and their encoded protein in the hippocampus of adult and embryonic rats. Int J Mol Sci 16(12):30422–30437. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms161226242
da Silva Meirelles L, Simon D, Regner A (2017) Neurotrauma: the crosstalk between neurotrophins and inflammation in the acutely injured brain. Int J Mol Sci 18(6):1082. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms18051082
Siwek M, Sowa-Kućma M, Styczeń K et al (2017) Associations of serum cytokine receptor levels with melancholia, staging of illness, depressive and manic phases, and severity of depression in bipolar disorder. Mol Neurobiol 54(8):5883–5893. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-016-0124-8
Smith AC, Kenny PJ (2017) MicroRNAs regulate synaptic plasticity underlying drug addiction. Genes Brain Behav. https://doi.org/10.1111/gbb.12424
Song C, Wang H (2011) Cytokines mediated inflammation and decreased neurogenesis in animal models of depression. Prog Neuro-Psychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 35(3):760–768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2010.06.020
Spedding M, Gressens P (2008) Neurotrophins and cytokines in neuronal plasticity. In: Novartis Foundation symposium, vol 289. Wiley, Chichester, pp 222–233
Stepanichev M, Dygalo NN, Grigoryan G et al (2014) Rodent models of depression: neurotrophic and neuroinflammatory biomarkers. Biomed Res Int 2014:932757
Storch A, Ott S, Hwang Y-I, et al 2002) Selective dopaminergic neurotoxicity of isoquinoline derivatives related to Parkinson’s disease: studies using heterologous expression systems of the dopamine transporter. Biochem Pharmacol 63(5):909–920. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-2952(01)00922-4
Su F, Guo A-C, Li W-W et al (2017) Low-dose ethanol preconditioning protects against oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation-induced neuronal injury by activating large conductance, Ca2+-activated K+ channels in vitro. Neurosci Bull 33(1):28–40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-016-0080-3
Temko JE, Bouhlal S, Farokhnia M, Lee MR, Cryan JF, Leggio L (2017) The microbiota, the gut and the brain in eating and alcohol use disorders: a ‘Ménage à trois’? Alcohol Alcohol 52(4):403–413. https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agx024
Thase ME, Salloum IM, Cornelius JD (2001) Comorbid alcoholism and depression: treatment issues. J Clin Psychiatry 62:32–41
de Timary P, Stärkel P, Delzenne NM, Leclercq S (2017) A role for the peripheral immune system in the development of alcohol use disorders? Neuropharmacology 122:148–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.04.013
Tizabi Y (2016) Duality of antidepressants and neuroprotectants. Neurotox Res 30(1):1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12640-015-9577-1
Tizabi Y, Bhatti BH, Taylor RE (2009) Antidepressant-like effects of low alcohol doses in an animal model of depression. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 33:157A
Toben C, Baune BT (2015) An act of balance between adaptive and maladaptive immunity in depression: a role for T lymphocytes. J NeuroImmune Pharmacol 10(4):595–609. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11481-015-9620-2
Vetreno RP, Crews FT (2014) Chapter 27—current hypotheses on the mechanisms of alcoholism. In: Sullivan EV, Pfefferbaum A (eds) Handbook of clinical neurology. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 477–497
Vetreno RP, Crews FT (2015) Binge ethanol exposure during adolescence leads to a persistent loss of neurogenesis in the dorsal and ventral hippocampus that is associated with impaired adult cognitive functioning. Front Neurosci 9:35
Walter TJ, Crews FT (2017) Microglial depletion alters the brain neuroimmune response to acute binge ethanol withdrawal. J Neuroinflammation 14(1):86. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-017-0856-z
Walter TJ, Vetreno RP, Crews FT (2017) Alcohol and stress activation of microglia and neurons: brain regional effects. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 41(12):2066–2081. https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.13511
Więdłocha M, Marcinowicz P, Krupa R et al (2018) Effect of antidepressant treatment on peripheral inflammation markers—a meta-analysis. Prog Neuro-Psychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 80(Pt C):217–226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.04.026
Wohleb ES, Franklin T, Iwata M, Duman RS (2016) Integrating neuroimmune systems in the neurobiology of depression. Nat Rev Neurosci 17(8):497–511. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn.2016.69
Wurzelmann M, Romeika J, Sun D (2017) Therapeutic potential of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and a small molecular mimics of BDNF for traumatic brain injury. Neural Regen Res 12:7
Zanardini R, Fontana A, Pagano R et al (2011) Alterations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor serum levels in patients with alcohol dependence. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 35(8):1529–1533. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-0277.2011.01489.x
Zhao J, Stockwell T, Roemer A, Naimi T, Chikritzhs T (2017) Alcohol consumption and mortality from coronary heart disease: an updated meta-analysis of cohort studies. J Stud Alcohol Drugs 78(3):375–386. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2017.78.375
Acknowledgements
Supported by NIH/NIAAA R03AA022479 (YT), NIAAA P20 AA014643 (RET), NIH/NIA 1R25AG047843-01 (ABC), MUNI/A/1063/2016 (JRK).
The authors wish to dedicate this work to George F. Koob, Ph.D. in appreciation of his immense contribution to the field of alcohol research.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tizabi, Y., Getachew, B., Ferguson, C.L. et al. Low Vs. High Alcohol: Central Benefits Vs. Detriments. Neurotox Res 34, 860–869 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12640-017-9859-x
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12640-017-9859-x