CYP2E1 activity in the brain, similar to the liver, is induced following chronic ethanol treatment, increasing its contribution to ethanol metabolism in both rodents (136, 137) and humans (138). In rats chronically exposed to alcohol, CYP2E1 is predominantly localized in neuronal cell bodies within regions such as the cortex, hippocampus, basal ganglia, hypothalamic nuclei, and reticular nuclei in the brainstem (136). Interestingly, autopsy studies of individuals with AUD indicate that heavy alcohol consumption is associated with neuronal damage in many of these same regions, including the thalamus, hippocampus, and periaqueductal grey area of the midbrain (136).
