Alcohol: affects the brains of men and women differently

A small tonsil at the base of the human brain, hidden by the temporal lobe, is called amygdala. It works out ours emotions. However, recent research has shown that thealcohol he can change his activity depending on the sex. Men and women are indeed very different. Here, alcohol can have a different impact on the brains of women and men.

Alcohol is often responsible for so many mental problems. Despite this, a study in mice reveals differences in the way alcohol affects the brains of men and women. There has always been a link between alcohol consumption and pathologies such as: depression and anxiety. Here come the mood disorders and alcohol abuse have a comorbid relationship. In short, alcohol abuse can cause anxiety and the latter can lead to alcohol use. These problems involve the brain region called the basolateral amygdala.

To fully understand the process, the researchers tested alcohol on mice. Male mice were therefore affected by alcohol consumption. they recorded behavioral changes. This did not happen in female mice. Everything can be explained with the GABA A receptor which contains subunits. One in particular, the delta subunit that appears to affect alcohol’s ability to alter brain activity through oscillation. This subunit is also known for its sensitivity to ovarian steroid hormone modulation. In other words, women are affected in a different way by alcohol precisely because of the modulation of this hormone that affects the subunit. The scientists did another test on male mice without subunits as evidence. Alcohol had an effect on their brains similar to that of women.