Members of multiple miRNA families upregulated in the brain of human alcoholics have been collectively found enriched (let-7, miR-1, miR-7, miR-92, miR-135, miR-146, miR-339, miR-376, and miR-380) or depleted (miR-34, miR-101, miR-144, miR-153, miR-301, and miR-652) in rodent synapses (Lugli et al., 2008; Siegel et al., 2009; Eipper-Mains et al., 2011). miR-92 in particular, had been implicated in the regulation of FXR1P, which is an RNA-binding protein found in dendrites and involved in miRNA biogenesis (Ceman and Saugstad, 2011). Lugli et al. (2008) suggested that the miRNAs expressed within dendrites and within dendritic spines were expected to contribute to the regulation of local protein synthesis. Since the main effect of miRNA upregulation in human alcoholic brain is suspected to be downregulation of targeted-gene expression and/or inhibition of protein translation (Lewohl et al., 2011) and blockade of de novo protein synthesis in dendritic spines attenuates formation of long-term memory due to impairment of dendritic growth and remodeling (Schratt, 2009; Eipper-Mains et al., 2011), it might suggest that the observed alcohol upregulation of these synapse-localized miRNAs could have a major impact in
