The data presented in this study contribute to a growing body of literature that alcohol use and abuse detrimentally affects the various aspects of hippocampal neurogenesis depending on timing dose, pattern and duration of exposure (Goodlett et al., 2005). Most reports have shown that alcohol intoxication inhibits neurogenesis in adult rats (see Nixon, 2006 for review). Although binge alcohol inhibited NSC proliferation in adolescent rats, it was to a lesser extent than that reported for adult rats (21% in adolescents versus the fairly consistent 40–50% inhibition in adults; see Table 1 in Nixon et al., 2006 for review). Within the context of an AUD, perhaps adolescent rats were showing a slight tolerance to alcohol inhibition of NSC proliferation. Acute alcohol administration to adolescent rats dose dependently inhibited NSC proliferation up to 78% with a 5g/kg dose (Crews et al., 2006b) whereas only a 21% decrease was observed in NSC proliferation in adolescent rats after four days of binge alcohol. Although one might jump to speculate on the perceived mechanism of this compensatory effect, so little is known about the different
