Alcohol dependence is undertreated in Denmark and worldwide, and many patients relapse. There is a strong need for new treatments based on a better understanding of how alcohol, and abstinence after prolonged alcohol use, affect the brain. After alcohol ingestion, the brain partly switches its energy use from glucose to the alcohol metabolite acetate – and more so in heavy drinkers, in whom the switch persists after abrupt abstinence. This led to the hypothesis that when acetate levels suddenly drop, the brain may be “starved” despite normal blood glucose, and that this may contribute to withdrawal symptoms. We further hypothesized that ketone bodies, like acetate, can act as alternative fuel in the brain and alleviate withdrawal symptoms. We found that ketogenic diet or a ketone supplement to regular diet reduced acute symptoms in rats and mice.
Here we will test
- whether ketogenic diet or ketone supplements can reduce prolonged alcohol withdrawal symptoms that contribute to relapse
- whether they can reduce alcohol-induced brain damage
- whether co-dependence on nicotine changes effectiveness of ketogenic treatments.
The project combines extensive behavioral testing with neuroimaging and neurotransmitter analysis.
