The Brain's Response to Alcohol and Increased Drinking Behavior.

Heavy alcohol use changes signaling pathways in the brain, affecting cognitive functions like decision-making and impulse control, and making the individual more likely to drink. Researchers have uncovered a neural mechanism involving the brain’s immune system that spurs alcohol use disorder. The mechanism behind this may involve the brain’s immune system, according to a recent article in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity. The molecule’s link to alcohol use disorder (AUD) was first uncovered by previous research; individuals with certain mutations in the gene that codes for IL-1β are more prone to developing heavy levels of alcohol drinking, for example.