A new study published this week by a team at MIT has suggested that a neural circuit can be used to modify the signals that correspond to alcohol abuse.

Alcohol consumption is extremely common in the west, with 86.3% of adults in the US claiming to have drank alcohol at some point in their lives. For most, alcohol consumption is not an issue, but for a small group of people alcohol abuse can be a serious concern – the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that 5.7% of American adults suffer from alcohol abuse disorder or alcoholism.

The neurological mechanism behind alcoholism is poorly understood, but a team at MIT have developed a rather radical method – grafting a neural circuit between the prefrontal cortex and brain stem of a number of mice.

The use of this circuit was twofold – it allowed the researchers to identify which neural signals and what neurological activity marked the transition from casual to compulsive alcohol consumption in binge drinking mice.

The circuit could also be used by the researchers to control the strength of the signals identified to be related to alcoholism, which in turn modified the compulsions of the alcoholic mice.

There is currently no plan to begin attaching neural circuits to the brains of humans, but it is hoped that the insight gained into the specific signals and biomarkers of alcoholism and alcohol abuse will lead to newer and better treatments of these disorders in future.