Compared to the water group, the ethanol group had more genes with higher expression levels than lower expression levels in the ACB-shell (3.6-fold) and CeA (1.5-fold), suggesting that binge-like drinking by P rats may be increasing transcription. Increased transcription appears to be occurring in both regions, as indicated by an 8 to 1 ratio of genes with increased expression in the ‘positive regulation of transcription from RNA polymerase II promotor’ category for the ACB-shell (Table 2), and the 15 to 1 ratio of genes with increased expression in the ‘positive regulation of nucleic acid metabolism & DNA-dependent transcription’ category for the CeA (Table 2). However, alterations in different transcription mechanisms may be involved in the CeA and ACB-shell, because, with one exception (i.e., Thra), there were no genes in common between the two regions.
