In summary, we report here that prolonged brain alcohol exposure results in a reversible suppression of proliferation and neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus, in a manner that may contribute to increased behavioural stress reactivity and negative affect. We further report that SVZ neurogenesis is long-term impaired following a prolonged history of alcohol dependence, in a manner that might contribute to cognitive deficits and other long-term neurobiological changes commonly observed in alcoholism. Whether these alterations in neurogenesis are directly involved in excessive alcohol consumption in post-dependent animals remains to be determined.
