Within the Acb-sh, there were several biological systems (using GO, KEGG and IPA analyses) that were significantly changed following both peri-adolescent and adult binge like drinking. These included glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling, Wnt signaling, regulation of anatomical structure morphogenesis, and cancer. Changes in GR and Wnt signaling could alter the transcription of multiple genes affecting a variety of cellular functions (Ratman et al., 2013; Kikuchi et al., 2011). Even though alcohol drinking by adolescent and adult P rats altered similar biological systems, the mechanisms underlying alcohol’s actions appear to be different since there are so few genes in common that were changed in both studies.
