New evidence from the Hodge Lab shows that moderate alcohol drinking exacerbates brain and behavioral pathologies associated with Alzheimer’s disease
The consequences of non-dependent alcohol drinking on health and well-being in older adults is not fully understood. Evidence suggests that alcohol abuse during mid-life exacerbates age-related cognitive decline and may increase the risk of developing dementia after age 65. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major cause of dementia in older individuals, but it is unclear if alcohol drinking can target the same molecular mechanisms in the brain that underlie AD neural pathology like amyloid plaques and tau tangles. Using the well-validated 3xTg-AD transgenic mice that model Alzheimer’s disease (“humanized” mice express human tau, presenilin, and amyloid precursor transgenes), the Hodge lab has found new evidence that moderate alcohol drinking increases the onset and progression of neural pathology and cognitive decline associated with AD. This study is published in the International Review of Neurobiology and is available at the following link: https://authors.elsevier.com/b/1a38xH06wnw2h