These results emphasize the importance of investigating the complex temporal relationships that exist between miRNA and gene expression changes in response to alcohol challenge. Many studies have focused on "snapshots" in time to establish the relationship between expression changes of miRNA and mRNA; however, this temporal relationship is complex and difficult to study. The current studies are unique because they address critical questions about the temporal relationship between miRNA regulation and mRNA function. These results demonstrate that alcohol exposure results in complex temporal changes in microRNA-mRNA gene network structure and that manipulation of microRNAs may rescue the aberrant synaptic plasticity associated with alcohol consumption.
