Gene editing may treat alcoholism and anxiety, experiment suggests

A study conducted on rats used CRISPR gene editing that successfully reversed modifications of brain synapses that occur when an adolescent is exposed to alcohol, according to an article published by ScienceAdvances on May 4. 

Use of alcohol during adolescence alters brain development, increasing the likelihood of developing a substance use disorder and anxiety in adulthood.

"Early binge drinking can have long-lasting and significant effects on the brain, and the results of this study offer evidence that gene editing is a potential antidote to these effects, offering a kind of factory reset for the brain, if you will," Subhash Pandey, PhD, senior study author and director of the Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics at University of Illinois at Chicago, told UIC Today.

UIC researchers conducted an experiment using rats they injected with alcohol at an age corresponding with human adolescence, which altered the rat's brain development in a way that mirrors the effects early binge drinking has on humans.

The researchers then used the CRISPR-dCas9 gene-editing tool to alter the synapses of the brain affected by the alcohol. They found that reversing the modification that occured brought brain function and behavior of the rats back to normal, which showed a reduced preference for alcohol and fewer anxiety symptoms in the rats.

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