Chunk #31 — 4. Discussion — 4.1. Altered Functional Connectivity in the Memory Group — 4.1.1. Predominant Hyperconnectivity of Low-Frequency Oscillations in the Memory Group
At the neural level, it is possible that the hyperconnectivity seen in the memory group may contribute to aberrant synaptic pruning in specific cortical regions [90] in these individuals, who also report having increased alcohol-related consequences compared to the comparison group. It is also possible that damage to a specific network can enhance connectivity across other regions that are anticorrelated to the damaged network, such as occurs in neurodegenerative conditions [91]. Physiologically, alcohol can impact pre- and postsynaptic mechanisms during the secretion/recycling of neurotransmitters, leading to the disruption of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission [92,93], potentially caused by the detrimental effects of alcohol on glial cells [94]. Recent animal studies confirm that chronic and heavy alcohol consumption can cause aberrant synaptic pruning and the substantial loss of excitatory synapses in the prefrontal cortex, resulting in disruption of brain connectivity and dysregulated neural communication across the cortical networks [95]. However, it remains to be confirmed whether the connectivity differences observed in the memory group are the direct consequence of alcohol consumption or indicators of predisposed genetic risk in these individuals or the interaction of both.
