over several weeks in the present study, that different time points after drinking were measured, and that different tissues were assayed. Such chronically high brain levels of alcohol may produce excessive cellular oxidative stress and eventually cause neuronal damage within the VTA. The WGCNA provided additional evidence that excessive binge drinking produces alterations in glia cells within the VTA (Table 5; Blue module GO categories). Alterations in fatty acid, steroid, cholesterol, and phospholipid biosynthetic processes could be indicators of the damaging effects of the very high daily concentrations of ethanol on brain function.
