Stopping alcohol use may not immediately erase the brain changes associated with addiction. In a study of mice, animals that developed compulsive drinking after a period of abstinence showed more than twice the activity in a brain region linked to stress and addiction. Importantly, this heightened activity appeared before the animals resumed drinking, suggesting it may be an early warning signal for relapse risk. The findings could help scientists understand why relapse can occur even after a period without alcohol and potentially identify biological markers of vulnerability. However, the research was conducted in mice, so further studies are needed to determine whether the same brain signal predicts relapse in humans.
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