Inveterate revelers have often dreamed of it the day after the holidays: a revolutionary drug that would reduce the negative effects of alcohol on the brain. Researchers have found a compound that has these abilities on rodents that have drunk too much.
An international team of researchers tested ethane-ß-sultam acid on rats subjected to binge-drinking. The equivalent of consuming 8 units or more of alcohol for a man and 6 units or more for a woman. Scientists evaluated the effects of this compound on alcoholic rats. They tested their brain’s cell degeneration and inflammation levels and spatial memory with a maze test.
The results of the study show that excessive alcohol consumption causes brain inflammation and loss of cells in the hippocampus. And especially that the consumption of ethane-ß-sultam acid would reduce these inflammations and make alcoholic rats less misty. Indeed, thanks to this compound, they were as skillful and fast as the healthy rats to get out of the maze.
“Ethane-ß-sultam acid reduces neuroinflammation, suppresses neuronal loss and improves visuospatial memory,” explains Professor Mike Page.
The results of this study are conclusive in rodents but must be tested with humans.
“The risk of such treatment is to mask the other negative effects of binge-drinking. But if we accept the fact that alcohol abuse is likely to continue, it might be wise for society to try to deal with it in one way or another, ”he said. “Especially since the possibilities of the molecule go beyond alcohol. Since the compound crosses the blood-brain barrier, it could lead to new treatments against neurodegenerative diseases, for example, including Alzheimer’s disease“.
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