Alcohol's Influence on Alzheimer's Risk Explained?

A study published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation suggests alcohol alters gene expression in microglial cells and the immune system, impairing the ability of phagocytes to clear amyloid plaque, reports Medscape . "Our results demonstrate that microglial phagocytosis of Aß1-42 the 42-amino acid version of amyloid ß is significantly suppressed following one-day exposure to 75 mM ethanol," note the researchers. "This dose of ethanol is in the high range and is attained in humans following binge drinking or in heavy drinkers." The University of Illinois at Chicago's Douglas L. Feinstein says for their study the team "activated cells with alcohol alone or with a strong inflammatory combination. The two responses were very different. Alcohol is causing some type of activation in microglial cells, and it's different from typical inflammation." The researchers exposed rat microglial cells to alcohol or to a mixture of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-a, interleukin-1ß, and interferon-y. They then compared genetic activation at 24 hours. Outcomes showed that 312 messenger RNAs (mRNAs) expressed differently after alcohol exposure. "Observations that alcohol induces changes in mRNAs involved in phagocytosis including members of the immune complement system is a novel finding suggesting that alcohol consumption can lead to dysregulation of clearance processes in the CNS central nervous system," the researchers say.