Neuroimaging of inflammation in alcohol use disorder: a review

Abstract

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a global health concern associated with several comorbidities. Various health problems related to AUD, such as cognitive deficits, have been linked to neuroinflammation. Alcohol use has been associated with changes in neuroimmune activity, although current literature has yielded mixed results. For example, markers of gliosis, including translocator protein 18-kDa (TSPO), proinflammatory cytokines, glutamate (Glu), and myo-inositol (mI), are disrupted in the alcohol-dependent brain. Further, neuroinflammatory-related phenomena including membrane turnover, blood brain barrier (BBB) permeability, and adenosine release have also shown alterations in AUD. However, current literature remains inconclusive about the directionality of these changes. Both in vivo and in vitro studies have provided insight on the relationship between alcohol use and neuroinflammatory processes, suggesting considerable treatment potential for alcohol use disorder and its inflammatory comorbidities. Here, we review current neuroimaging literature assessing the impacts of alcohol use on neuroimmune activity in the brain.

Relationship of Chronic Systemic Inflammation to Both Chronic Lifestyle-Related Diseases and Osteoarthritis: The Case for Lifestyle Medicine for Osteoarthritis

“…These data suggest that treating alcohol use disorders will improve health not only directly related to the harmful effects of alcohol, but also improve lifestyle-related chronic diseases that are rooted in chronic systemic inflammation [19]. However, access to programs that help patients with OA to quit smoking or avoid chronic or excessive alcohol use can be limited.…”

Effects of ibudilast on central and peripheral markers of inflammation in alcohol use disorder: A randomized clinical trial

“…MI is an osmolyte which is primarily found in glial cells; elevations in MI are thought to reflect activated glial cells which have enlarged cell volumes 25 . Several studies have reported higher MI levels in individuals with AUD relative to controls (reviewed in Feldman et al 65 ). Treatment‐seeking individuals with AUD show elevated MI levels in early abstinence, potentially due to alcohol‐induced hyperosmolarity which may cause MI accumulation 66 .…”

Exploring relationships between alcohol consumption, inflammation, and brain structure in a heavy drinking sample

“…The lack of association between WM MD and IL-6 may be due to the fact that IL-6 is not an adequate measure of inflammation in this sample (i.e., perhaps other inflammatory markers or a composite of multiple markers would be more informative), or because peripheral inflammation is not directly related to WM MD. In clinical research, it is difficult to ascertain reliable measures of neuroinflammation without using the more expensive and invasive method of positron emission tomography (PET) (Feldman et al, 2020). Thus, inherent limitations of peripheral inflammation measures are par for the course.…”

“…In addition, a number of studies support a relationship between chronic alcohol consumption and increased peripheral inflammation (Bishehsari et al, 2017;Crews et al, 2006a;Feldman et al, 2020).…”