In the differentiated NPC culture, alcohol decreased the mRNA levels of genes involved in survival, differentiation, and neuritogenesis (Table 2); these include Cdk5rap3, Gdnf, Hey2, Heyl, Pard6b, and Ptn. Of particular interest are the Notch components Hey2 and Heyl, which are transcription factor effectors of the Notch pathway. Hey2 particularly acts to inhibit transcription of proneural factors in association with histone deacetylase 2, to allow for stem cell maintenance and retention of pluripotency (Wen, Li, & Liu, 2009: Zhou, Kumari, Xiao, & Tan, 2010). Thus, PAE may induce rapid differentiation of NPCs by reducing these Notch effectors; however, reduced Gdnf, which has been demonstrated to increase differentiation when applied to cell culture, does not support this assessment (Roussa & Krieglstein, 2004). Indeed, gene ontology analysis suggests that decreased Gdnf and Ptn would result in less survival and differentiation (Table 2). GDNF protects against alcohol-mediated cell death in culture but is reduced in response to alcohol along with neurite outgrowth (Barak, Carnicella, Yowell, & Ron, 2011; Carnicella, Kharazia, Jeanblanc, Janak, & Ron, 2008; Chen & Charness, 2012). Interestingly, GDNF has been
