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​Some Brains Just Can't Say No To Booze, New Study Finds

Aneira Davies

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​Some Brains Just Can't Say No To Booze, New Study Finds

Featured Image Credit: Unsplash

A new study has discovered that it might not be as easy to say no to alcohol as we thought, as some brains just can't turn down booze, it appears.

The study, published in the medical journal eNeuro, found that addiction to alcohol may be down to differences in our brains - and it's why some people can become hooked on alcohol more easily than others.

Some of us may be more prone to alcohol addiction, found a new study (Credit: Unsplash)
Some of us may be more prone to alcohol addiction, found a new study (Credit: Unsplash)

Some people, the study revealed, can drink daily without ever getting hooked, while others could drink a lot less alcohol and become addicted.

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Co-author of the study, Dr David Moorman, who works as assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said: "Individual differences in brain response to alcohol could indicate propensity for alcohol abuse."

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Some people's brains, he added, see alcohol as more of a reward than others.

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is what's responsible for our brain's unique reactions to alcohol and it's here that we define and store what we consider to be rewarding.

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Dr Moorman added: "We know the OFC is activated during cravings and seeking of drugs of abuse and in response to drug-associated cues.

The study looked at the levels of OFC in the brain (Credit: Unsplash)
The study looked at the levels of OFC in the brain (Credit: Unsplash)

"However, only a subset of addiction-related studies have investigated the role of OFC in alcohol use."

The study also revealed that the love of OFC in heavy drinkers was the same as when they ate sugar, but more modest drinkers had "suppressed" OFC activity and found sugar to be more rewarding.

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A new study has found that a few glasses of wine can have different effects on different brains (Credit: Pexels)
A new study has found that a few glasses of wine can have different effects on different brains (Credit: Pexels)

Graduate student and co-author of the article, John Hernandez, said: "The results show that OFC neurons are activated during alcohol seeking based on individual preferences.

"Supporting this brain region has a possible influence on alcohol consumption that may be deregulated in alcohol misuse."

Though Dr Moorman says more work needs to be done to "fully explain the nature of alcohol preference", it seems there's an answer to why we can't say no to the booze!

Topics: News, Food And Drink

Aneira Davies
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