[Binge drinking in the young population: Lost memory after initial ethanol exposure via neuroinflammation and epigenetic].

Binge drinking (BD) in young adults/adolescents can lead to cognitive deficits in the adult probably through neuroinflammation and epigenetic. However, the mode of action of alcohol during the initial exposure is less known while it may be the origin of the deficits seen in adults. Recent studies in adolescent rat hippocampus revealed that loss of memory occurred since the very first exposure to BD with similar mechanisms than those highlighted for longer alcohol exposure.

Anti-inflammatory drugs prevent memory and hippocampal plasticity deficits following initial binge-like alcohol exposure in adolescent male rats.

Rationale: Binge drinking during adolescence impairs learning and memory on the long term, and many studies suggest a role of neuroinflammation. However, whether neuroinflammation occurs after the very first exposures to alcohol remains unclear, while initial alcohol exposure impairs learning for several days in male rats.

Objectives: To investigate the role of neuroinflammation in the effects of only two binge-like episodes on learning and on neuronal plasticity in adolescent male rat hippocampus.