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rpautrey2 · Guest

New study ties ending moderate drinking to depression

Scientific evidence has long suggested that moderate drinking offers
some protection against heart disease, certain types of stroke and
some forms of cancer.

But new research shows that stopping drinking – including at moderate
levels – may lead to health problems including depression and a
reduced capacity of the brain to produce new neurons, a process called
neurogenesis.

The findings from the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill appear online in the
journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

"Our research in an animal model establishes a causal link between
abstinence from alcohol drinking and depression," said study senior
author Clyde W. Hodge, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and pharmacology
in the UNC School of Medicine. "In mice that voluntarily drank alcohol
for 28 days, depression-like behavior was evident 14 days after
termination of alcohol drinking. This suggests that people who stop
drinking may experience negative mood states days or weeks after the
alcohol has cleared their systems,"

The mice were tested for depression-like behavior using a widely
recognized method called the Porsolt Swim Test. The mice are placed
inside a beaker filled with water and allowed to swim for six minutes.
Mice are good swimmers and have no problem completing this task. The
amount of time they spend immobile (floating and not swimming) is
measured as an index of despair or depression-like behavior. The more
time a mouse spends immobile, the more "depressed" it is thought to
be.

"This research provides the first evidence that long-term abstinence
from moderate alcohol drinking – rather than drinking per se – leads
to a negative mood state, depression," Hodge said.

The study also found that the emergence of depression was associated
with a profound reduction in the number of neural stem cells (cells
that will become neurons) and in the number of new neurons in a brain
region known as the hippocampus. This brain region is critical for
normal learning and memory, and recent studies show that the
development of neurons in the hippocampus may regulate mood, Hodge
said.

According to the researcher, the negative mood state in mice may
represent depression in humans and appears to be linked to a
diminished capacity of the brain to form new neurons. "Thus, people
who drink moderate alcohol socially, or for potential health benefits,
may experience negative mood or diminished cognitive abilities due to
a loss of the brain's ability to form new neurons," he said.

But the study also found that treatment with an antidepressant drug
during 14 days of abstinence prevented the development of depression
and restored the capability of the brain to produce new cells.

"Treatment with antidepressant drugs may help people who suffer from
both alcoholism and depression by restoring the brain's ability to
form new neurons," Hodge said. "Moreover, this research provides an
animal model of alcohol-related depression with which we can begin to
fully understand the neurobiology underlying co-occurring alcoholism
and depression, and thereby develop successful treatment options. At
this point it appears that blunted neurogenesis may underlie the
effects of abstinence from alcohol drinking on mood, but understanding
the mechanisms by which this occurs is a key challenge for future
research."

Source: University of North Carolina

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