The current study did not find evidence for demylineation that has been reported for human alcoholics (Lewohl et al., 2000; Liu et al., 2006), although there were indications of neurotoxic effects of binge drinking in the present study, since several genes (Mt3, Cyb5r3, Hdac4, Mif, Tiam1, Maea, Fhit) involved in cell death of eukaryotic cells had increased expression in the ethanol drinking group (Table 3). In addition, comparison of alcohol-responsive genes in the ACB of human alcoholics (Flatscher-Bader et al., 2005) with alcohol-responsive genes in the ACB-shell (Supplemental Table A) indicated that there were no alcohol-responsive genes in common. Many factors could account for this lack of overlap between the 2 studies, which would include species differences, pattern and amount of alcohol drinking, time after death that tissue was procured, region of the ACB examined, etc.
