Why some people are eager to drink alcohol

A team of Finnish scientist has decoded changes in the brain that make people eager to take excessive alcohol -- a discovery that can lead to new drug therapies to treat alcoholism. The brain tissue of people with alcohol points out a variety of hormonal and neurotransmitter changes compared to non-alcoholics. According to researchers from Eastern Finland University, all alcoholics ' brains share some characteristics but some are exclusive to the brain tissue of anxiety-prone. The researchers have analysed post-mortem brain tissue from alcoholic people and non-alcoholic controls. There are two types of alcohol – one of them is Type 1 and other Type 2 alcoholics. Type 1 alcoholics develop alcohol dependence relatively late in life and are prone to anxiety. On the other hand, Type 2 alcoholics dependence at a young age and they are characterised by anti-social behaviour and impulsiveness. According to study, "this division was made in order to highlight the wide spectrum of people suffering from alcohol dependence," said lead researcher Olli Karkkainen. One of the changes shared by all alcoholics were increased levels of dehydroepiandrosterone in the brain. Dehydroepiandrosterone is a steroid hormone that affects the central nervous system. "Moreover, all alcoholics showed decreased levels of serotonin hormone associated with recognition of feelings and social cognitive processes. The finding could be related to social anxiety type behaviour seen in alcohol-dependent individuals.