Binge drinking cure....possibly!!!!

Binge alcohol drinking is associated with GABAA {alpha}2-regulated Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression in the central amygdala.

Liu J, Yang AR, Kelly T, Puche A, Esoga C, June HL Jr, Elnabawi A, Merchenthaler I, Sieghart W, June HL Sr, Aurelian L.

Abstract

Binge drinking (blood-alcohol levels ≥ 0.08 g% in a 2-h period), is a significant public health burden in need of improved treatment. Gene therapy may offer beneficial alternatives to current psychosocial and pharmacotherapeutic interventions, but identification of the target genes is a clinical challenge. We report that a GABA(A) α2 siRNA vector (pHSVsiLA2) infused into the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) of alcohol-preferring (P) rats caused profound and selective reduction of binge drinking associated with inhibition of α2 expression, decreased GABA(A) receptor density, and inhibition of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). CeA infusion of a TLR4 siRNA vector (pHSVsiLTLR4a) also inhibited binge drinking, but neither vector functioned when infused into the ventral pallidum. Binge drinking was inhibited by a GABA(A) α1 siRNA vector (pHSVsiLA1) infused into the ventral pallidum, unrelated to TLR4. The vectors did not alter sucrose intake and a scrambled siRNA vector was negative. The data indicate that GABA(A) α2-regulated TLR4 expression in the CeA contributes to binge drinking and may be a key early neuroadaptation in excessive drinking.


Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Mar 15;108(11):4465-70. Epub 2011 Feb 28.

Why is this cool?

 Like many of you, I drink and sometimes, not often, I drink too much. As a younger lad, I drank profusely and constantly. People suggested that I lay off the sauce, but what did they know?

 

 Well, it turns out that those people told some people and those people outsourced the research to this group. Most alcohol drinkers are calm and relaxed, but there are those (mostly under 25 years old) that just can't stop themselves. It is some sort of mental disorder (total guess on my part) that prevents someone from enjoying drinks in moderation. How do you treat a mental disorder (again, total guess) with such a physical manifestation? These researchers did it by pumping special RNA straight into a rat brain. This may seem trivial, but this is really astounding! The RNA was targeted towards transcription of specific receptors in a specific region of the brain.
 What is RNA? Well, everyone knows that DNA is where our genetic heritage lies, but how does that create us? The DNA is transcribed to RNA, which is essentially a messenger system, and that RNA is translated into protein. Well, it turns out that RNA can do a great many things in the cell, such as inhibit the translation of other RNAs, this RNA is called "short inhibitory RNA" (siRNA). This paper uses specially designed siRNAs  to inhibit receptors associated with binge drinking.
 If you think about far flung future applications, we have ripe story telling potential! Let us say that the treatment here gets translated into pill form or patch or oral liquid form. Sneaky parents would use this treatment on their children to prevent them from binge drinking at bonfires.

Caring bartenders might use the treatment to prevent problem drinkers from getting completely hammered.
 Now, let's consider different problems that may be explained by similar compulsions as found in binge drinking, specifically: binge eating. What if the obesity epidemic that is strangling the highly developed countries could be cured with an orally administered pill?
What if the government mandated that everyone took the pill as a means of ensuring food security? What if controlling the amount of food we eat is the next civil liberty to be taken from us? I think that the government should stop telling me to be skinny and healthy, because my fatness is an expression of FREEDOM!!!