Chronic ethanol exposure alters epigenetic mechanism in the basal forebrain [abstract]

Abstract

One of the most commonly observed characteristics of alcohol withdrawal is insomnia. Importantly, there is a strong association between insomnia and relapse to alcoholism. In a recent study, we have shown that insomnia in ethanol dependent rats may result from reduced gene expression of proteins responsible for adenosine release and transmission in the basal forebrain (BF). Histone acetylation is an epigenetic phenomenon that promotes gene expression. Does ethanol dependence alter histone acetylation in the BF and affect gene expression?