John Hopton for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
Scientists have developed a new drug which could help to reduce or even reverse the harmful effects of binge drinking on the brain, particularly in teenagers. There is also optimism that the drug could be used in neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Successful testing on rats has shown that the treatment is effective in combatting the loss of function, brain cell loss and inflammation that comes from heavy drinking, which is particularly dangerous for teenagers whose brains are still developing. Symptoms include decreased memory capabilities and impeded navigational skills.
The drug utilizes a compound developed by the team of European scientists named ethane-beta-sultam, a taurine ‘pro-drug’ which is highly effective because it enters the blood stream easily before it is processed by the body into its active form. Normally, getting drugs to the brain can be difficult because of the ‘blood-brain barrier’ – the natural defense mechanism that protects the brain.
The project received European Union (EU) funding and involved eleven scientists from universities in Louvain in Belgium, Florence in Italy and Huddersfield and London in the UK. The results are revealed in an article published by the Journal of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.
“One of things that alcohol does is to destroy some of the brain cells which are important for navigation and orientation,” said Huddersfield University’s Professor Mike Page. “But a combination of alcohol and our compound could overcome this damage.” He explained that the brain protects itself using ‘glial cells’ – which are increased when exposed to alcohol in binge drinking.
Professor Page said that the findings were the result of a ten year collaboration and that the project would continue, possibly including research to find a compound that performs even better than ethane-beta-sultam. Such compounds could be used to treat neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and dementia in the long-term.
The research raises questions regarding the advisability and morality of treating a problem like binge drinking with drugs. Professor Page says that, “…if you accept that alcohol abuse is going to continue, then it might be sensible for society to try and treat it in some way.” However the NHS – the National Health Service in the UK – points out that the drug only focuses on the brain while binge drinking affects many other parts of the body.
The website of the NHS says that, “The study only focused on the potential protective effects of the drug on the brain. Excessive alcohol consumption can also damage the liver. But the drug was not designed to work in this way and this was not looked at as part of the study.”
The NHS also points out that testing on rats is not necessarily evidence that the method will work on humans, and that trials on humans could be unethical. Moreover, they caution that optimism for the treatment of other neurological disorders could be premature as such elements were not part of these tests.
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