Binge-Drinking Trigger?

Researchers identify a protein linked to excessive consumption of alcohol in animal models.

| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
Share

WIKIMEDIA, TIIA MONTOMice lacking a subunit of a G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channel drank more ethanol than their wild-type counterparts when given access to the beverage for only two hours a day during a time when they would be most likely to drink—a test intended to mirror a bar’s happy hour. GIRK3 knockout mice did not drink to the point of intoxication when given continuous access to alcohol, however, suggesting this subunit specifically affects the tendency to binge drink, according to a study published this week (May 11) in PNAS.

“Alcohol hits a lot of different targets in our brain, which makes disentangling the in vivo effects of alcohol quite complicated,” coauthor Candice Contet, a biologist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, said in a statement. “Our study sheds light on the molecular mechanisms implicated in binge drinking.”

GIRK channels are inhibitory, decreasing the likelihood that a neuron will fire. But what effect the GIRK3 knockout was having was not initially clear. “Mice lacking GIRK3 could be drinking more because they feel more pleasure from alcohol and are therefore more motivated to drink—or they could be drinking more because they feel less pleasure and therefore need to drink more to reach the same level of pleasure as normal mice,” Contet said.

Further ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Keywords

Meet the Author

  • Jef Akst

    Jef Akst was managing editor of The Scientist, where she started as an intern in 2009 after receiving a master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses.
Share
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

sartorius logo
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo

Products

Photo of a researcher overseeing large scale production processes in a laboratory.

Scaling Lentiviral Vector Manufacturing for Optimal Productivity

Thermo Fisher Logo
Collage-style urban graphic of wastewater surveillance and treatment

Putting Pathogens to the Test with Wastewater Surveillance

An illustration of an mRNA molecule in front of a multicolored background.

Generating High-Quality mRNA for In Vivo Delivery with lipid nanoparticles

Thermo Fisher Logo
Tecan Logo

Tecan introduces Veya: bringing digital, scalable automation to labs worldwide