Intoxicated fly brains: neurons mediating ethanol-induced behaviors

In free nature, animals rarely become alcoholics. Only when humans interfere do they develop some aspects of dependence. In humans, it is thought that 40-60% of the risk to become an alcoholic is influenced by genetic factors. The interplay between the genetic predisposition and the environment is thought to promote addictive behaviors to ethanol (Schuckit, 2000). Animal models are widely used to functionally dissect behaviors that are associated with alcohol dependence and to characterize the related ethanol responsive genes (Lovinger & Crabbe, 2005). Thus, brain regions and neurons have been identified that mediate ethanol-induced behaviors (Rothenfluh & Heberlein, 2002). This review aims to give an overview of ethanol-induced behaviors and the correlating neurons/neuronal structures in Drosophila melanogaster mediating these behaviors and discusses the possible significance of these results.