The Impacts of Binge Drinking and Hangover on the Social Brain: An Integrative Narrative Review

TL;DR

This review explores how binge drinking and hangovers affect social behavior and brain function, suggesting potential targets for preventing alcohol addiction and social isolation.

Contribution

The paper integrates human and animal studies to propose neuropeptides like CRH and AVP as therapeutic targets for alcohol-related social dysfunction.

Findings

Binge drinking can initially enhance sociability but repeated cycles lead to social withdrawal.

Changes in hypothalamic neurohormones and neurotransmitters are linked to binge drinking and hangover effects on the social brain.

Targeting CRH and AVP may prevent the progression from binge drinking to addiction and social isolation.

Abstract

Binge drinking is defined as consuming a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time, whereas hangover is a cluster of unpleasant mental symptoms and physical signs that typically manifest the next day after binge drinking. Binge drinking is a prevalent pattern of alcohol consumption, especially in adolescents, with dualistic effects on social behavior. While some studies demonstrate that a single episode of binge drinking enhances sociability and preference for social novelty, other studies indicate that repeating cycles of binge drinking and hangover can lead to persistent negative affect and consequently social withdawal. This is an integrative narrative review synthesizing human studies and animal models of binge drinking (also known as alcohol intoxication) and hangover (also known as alcohol withdrawal). The major databases consulted were PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The search terms used were “binge drinking” or “hangover”and “social behavior” or “social brain” in combination with “rats”, “mice” or “humans”. Finding the missing link between structural and functional changes in the social brain in the context of binge drinking and hangover is crucial for developing novel therapeutic strategies for alcohol intoxication and withdrawal. This review focuses on changes in hypothalamic neurohormones and extrahypothalamic neurotransmitters in these states, and concludes with the statement that targeting neuropeptides such as corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) and their receptors, which are involved in both binge drinking and social behavior, may prevent repeated cycles of binge drinking and hangover from spiraling into alcohol addiction and, ultimately, social isolation.

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