Results of this study showed a general downregulation of multiple Akt/mTOR phosphoproteins in AMY, LHPC, CA1, LEC, and MEC suggesting that a history of alcohol use produced an enduring general disruption of Akt/mTOR signaling in brain regions associated with AD pathology. As noted above, the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway regulates cell growth and proliferation, as well as macroautophagy. Given the neurodegenerative nature of AD and chronic alcohol consumption, it is not unexpected that together they would disrupt these basic processes and, potentially, accelerate decline. However, the mechanisms that are specifically responsible are harder to understand as the nature of phosphorylated proteins is only one change in response to environmental demands on both a micro and macro scale in any signaling pathway.
