[13], cell adhesion [12], and neuronal apoptosis [5, 11, 12]. Differentially expressed coding genes identified in postmortem NAc of AUD subjects may participate in synaptic transmission [5, 8], vesicle formation and cell architecture [5], transcription and lipid metabolism [14], and oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondrial dysfunction and cytokine signaling [15]. Only one study is known to have examined mRNA transcriptomic changes in postmortem VTA of AUD subjects, and the identified differentially expressed coding genes likely contribute to neurotransmission and signal transduction [8]. These findings suggest that altered expression of coding genes or mRNAs in reward-related brain regions may underlie alcohol-induced neuroadaptations.
