Drinking alcohol shrinks critical brain regions in genetically vulnerable mice
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 - 20:30
in Biology & Nature
Brain scans of two strains of mice imbibing significant quantities of alcohol reveal serious shrinkage in some brain regions - but only in mice lacking a particular type of receptor for dopamine, the brain's "reward" chemical. The study provides new evidence that these dopamine receptors may play a protective role against alcohol-induced brain damage.