Adolescent Drinking May Affect Adult Behaviour.

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Binge drinking during adolescence may upset brain development at a critical time and leave lasting effects on genes and behaviour that persist into adulthood. These are the conclusions of a study carried out by researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine after research on rats.
Professor Subhash Pandey and colleagues exposed a group of adlolescent rats to alcohol on a two day on, two day off pattern for thirteen days. The rats were monitored into adulthood for signs of any abnormal behaviour.
It was seen those rats exposed to alcohol in adolescence exhibited increased anxiety like behaviours and drank more alcohol as adults.
When brain tissue from the amygdala was examined they noted the DNA and histones appeared to be tightly wrapped.
They also found an increase in levels of the protein HDAC2, which modifies histones in a way that causes DNA to be wound tighter around them. These changes were in turn linked to a lowered expression of a gene that nerve cells need in order to form synaptic connections. Professor Pandey says the lowered activity of this gene may be due to the tighter wrapping of its DNA.
This research, says Pandey, provides "a mechanism for how binge drinking during adolescence may lead to lasting [epigenetic] changes..that result in increased anxiety and alcoholism in adults".
However when a drug which is used in cancer treatment and known to block the activity of the HDAC2 was given to the rats, it restored gene expression needed for synaptic formation.

Details here..
http://news.uic.edu/adolescent-drinking-affects-adult-behavior-through-long-lasting-changes-in-genes
 
I had my first beer at 16. I was never an alcoholic though. Although I noticed whenever I was inebriated I would get really mean at people and argumentative and try to cut them down. I don't know why that happens. Other times I feel empathetic.
 
Binge drinking during adolescence may upset brain development at a critical time and leave lasting effects on genes and behaviour that persist into adulthood. These are the conclusions of a study carried out by researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine after research on rats.
Professor Subhash Pandey and colleagues exposed a group of adlolescent rats to alcohol on a two day on, two day off pattern for thirteen days. The rats were monitored into adulthood for signs of any abnormal behaviour.
It was seen those rats exposed to alcohol in adolescence exhibited increased anxiety like behaviours and drank more alcohol as adults.
When brain tissue from the amygdala was examined they noted the DNA and histones appeared to be tightly wrapped.
They also found an increase in levels of the protein HDAC2, which modifies histones in a way that causes DNA to be wound tighter around them. These changes were in turn linked to a lowered expression of a gene that nerve cells need in order to form synaptic connections. Professor Pandey says the lowered activity of this gene may be due to the tighter wrapping of its DNA.
This research, says Pandey, provides "a mechanism for how binge drinking during adolescence may lead to lasting [epigenetic] changes..that result in increased anxiety and alcoholism in adults".
However when a drug which is used in cancer treatment and known to block the activity of the HDAC2 was given to the rats, it restored gene expression needed for synaptic formation.

Details here..
http://news.uic.edu/adolescent-drinking-affects-adult-behavior-through-long-lasting-changes-in-genes

I wonder which cancer drug they used? Perhaps it, or a derivative, can be used generally for anxiety.

It didn't need this study to convince me that there are problems with binge drinking. Think about the car related incidents, the violence, the rape, and just the general all around disgusting behavior. I was detested by most of the teens in our neighborhood because unlike a lot of the other parents I just wouldn't tolerate or enable it. At my daughter's sweet sixteen I hired bouncers to keep the drunken louts out, girls as well as boys. One idiot girl managed to bring it in and got sick all over the ladies room. I personally called her parents and told them to pick her up immediately or I'd send her home alone in a taxi. Honestly, I don't know what's wrong with some parents.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/spring-breaks-biggest-danger-binge-drinking/story?id=18740903
 
Binge drinking unfortunately seems to be the norm kind of entertainment in adolescents on many occasions, and also induced by peer pressure. I believe tho that many seem to grow out of it fairly quickly. However I believe that a good number seem to have a genetic disponibility towards consuming more alchohol then average which of course is not a good thing and binge drinking can be the trigger, even in young ages
 

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