Binge drinking in Youths
A message is seen on a bar window in Lincoln, eastern England. REUTERS

The neurotoxic effects of 'binge-drinking' can now be reduced by a drug that has been developed by a team of European scientists. This development can lead to the discovery of treatment for other neurological diseases and disorders.

The study was conducted by Professor Mike Page and Dr Karl Hemming of the University of Huddersfield, with the help of Belgian and Italian scientists. The collaboration was able to develop the compound named 'ethane-beta-sultam', a taurine 'pro-drug' which effectively diffuses into the bloodstream before being processed by the body into its active form.

Binge drinking effects cause long-term damage to the brain. Adolescents, whose brains are still at the stage of further enhancement are more vulnerable to neurotoxic effects. Sessions of heavy drinking cause brain cell loss and inflammation that leads to memory degeneration.

In the research, daily supplements of ethane-beta-sultam were tested on rats who had been under ethanol binge-drinking regime. Administration of ethane-β-sultam doses to binge drinking rats reduced neuroinflammation in both the periphery and the brain, suppressed neuronal loss, and improved working memory of rats in a water maze study.

Professor Page explains that alcohol consumption destroys brain cells that are essential for navigation and coordination. The combination of ethane-beta-sultam and alcohol could overcome the damaged done. The brain has protective cells or glial cells that increase in number when exposed to binge-drinking. Giving an amount of ethane-beta-sultam and alcohol at the same time decreased growth of these cells.

The group effort for this project, which remains strong for almost a decade, will push through with more research on how to improve the drug. In the future, they also see the potential for developing related compounds that could help with the treatment of other brain diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's.

More information about this new compound are discussed in the article published by the Journal of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.

Intermittent alcohol abuse is both a social and medical problem. Although, there are sustained campaigns to fight alcoholism, the increasing prevalence of underage drinking is inevitable and has to be dealt with proactively.