Sydney University. Australia: Oxytocin, sometimes referred to as the 'love' or 'cuddle' hormone,
has a legendary status in popular culture due to its vital role in
social and sexual behaviour and long-term bonding. Now researchers
from the University of Sydney and the University of Regensburg have
discovered it also has a remarkable influence on the intoxicating effect
of alcohol, which they report in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences today.
When
the researchers infused oxytocin into the brains of rats which were
then given alcohol it prevented the drunken lack of coordination caused
by the alcohol.
"In the rat equivalent of a sobriety test, the rats
given alcohol and oxytocin passed with flying colours, while those given
alcohol without oxytocin were seriously impaired," said Dr Michael Bowen, from the University of Sydney's School of Psychology and lead author on the study.
The
researchers demonstrated that oxytocin prevents alcohol from accessing
specific sites in the brain that cause alcohol's intoxicating effects,
sites known as delta-subunit GABA-A receptors.
"Alcohol impairs
your coordination by inhibiting the activity of brain regions that
provide fine motor control. Oxytocin prevents this effect to the point
where we can't tell from their behaviour that the rats are actually
drunk. It's a truly remarkable effect," Dr Bowen said.
This
'sobering-up' effect of oxytocin has yet to be shown in humans but the
researchers plan to conduct these studies in the near future.
"The
first step will be to ensure we have a method of drug delivery for
humans that allows sufficient amounts of oxytocin to reach the brain. If
we can do that, we suspect that oxytocin could also leave speech and
cognition much less impaired after relatively high levels of alcohol
consumption," Dr Bowen said.
It's worth noting that oxytocin can't save you from being arrested while driving home from the pub.
"While
oxytocin might reduce your level of intoxication, it won't actually
change your blood alcohol level," Dr Bowen said. "This is because the
oxytocin is preventing the alcohol from accessing the sites in the brain
that make you intoxicated, it is not causing the alcohol to leave your
system any faster".
Some people might worry a drug which decreases
your level of intoxication could encourage you to drink more. As it
turns out, separate experiments conducted by the researchers and other
groups have shown that taking oxytocin actually reduces alcohol
consumption and craving in both rats and humans.
"We believe that
the effects of oxytocin on alcohol consumption and craving act through a
similar mechanism in the brain to the one identified in our research,"
said Dr Bowen.
Their findings could see the development of new oxytocin-based treatments for alcohol-use disorders that target this mechanism.