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Monday, June 11, 2007

Cerebellar Vermis Proteome of Chronic Alcoholic Individuals
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research (OnlineEarly Articles). 11 June 2007


Cerebellar changes are commonly associated with alcoholism and chronic alcohol consumption can produce profound impairments in motor functioning and various aspects of cognition. Although the mechanisms underlying alcohol-induced changes in the cerebellar vermis are poorly understood, observations in the alcoholic vermis are thought to be consequential to common alcohol-related factors, particularly thiamine deficiency.

These results suggest that clinically and pathologically uncomplicated alcoholic cases may not in fact be "uncomplicated," as at the proteome level we seem to be isolating the confounding effects of nutritional deficiencies and liver dysfunction and perhaps their role in alcohol-related vermis damage.

Together, these results indicate that the alcohol-related pathology of the vermis is more multifactorial than other brain regions examined previously (prefrontal region and CC splenium).

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