Why are some people more sensitive than others to alcohols effects?
Genes may alter the way individual brain cells are affected by alcohol, thereby influencing sensitivity. Lines of mice called long sleep (LS) and short sleep (SS) have been bred for differing sensitivities to the depressant effects of alcohol. Individual brain cells from each mouse line also exhibit differing sensitivities to alcohol. Less alcohol is needed to suppress activity in LS mouse brain cells than is needed to suppress activity in SS mouse brain cells (12). Researchers are working to identify basic variations in genetic products, or proteins such as receptors, that will explain differences in sensitivity and many other responses to alcohol. In one technique, scientists remove genetic material from mouse brains and transplant it to frog eggs. The frog eggs follow instructions in the mouse genetic material and make mouse brain cell receptors, allowing researchers to examine the way these receptors interact with alcohol in a clearly defined system separate from the whole animal.
