Alcohol-Dependence and the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis

Starkel, Peter [UCL] Leclercq, Sophie [UCL] Delzenne, Nathalie M. [UCL] de Timary, Philippe [UCL]

In recent years light has been shed on the way in which alcohol influences behavior, psychological symptoms, and alcohol-seeking in alcohol-dependent (AD) subjects. A new concept has emerged linking the gut and the brain in alcohol use disorders. However, the mechanisms underlying this gut-brain relationship in alcohol abuse are not, as yet, completely understood but may involve intestinal dysbiosis and increased intestinal permeability; the latter is sometimes referred to as “leaky gut.” As a consequence of such a phenomena low-grade systemic inflammation may occur with subsequent effects on the brain and other target organ functions. Persistent alterations in key CNS circuits likely contribute to the inability of AD subjects to control their alcohol intake and influence relapse after alcohol withdrawal. Therefore it is conceivable that dietary interventions, which correct intestinal dysbiosis and deficits in intestinal barrier function, could have a beneficial effect in treating alcohol dependence and in reducing relapse.