“We didn’t see any indication of their drinking coming back to baseline, so we think that maybe this epigenetic editing will produce a long-lasting effect,” Pandey says. “I think a lot more work needs to be done in terms of how this can be translated into humans for a therapy, but I have high hopes.”
To test that the Arc gene was truly responsible for this outcome, the researchers also designed a Crispr injection meant to decrease its expression. They tested it in rats that weren’t exposed to alcohol in adolescence. Following the injection, the rats had more anxiety and consumed more alcohol than they did before.
The study raises the
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