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. 2025 Apr;24(2):e70022.
doi: 10.1111/gbb.70022.

Expression of GDAP1 Gene Correlates With Alcohol Deprivation Effect

Rona Yarimay  1 , Dominik K E Beyer  1 , Annakarina Mundorf  1   2 , Nadja Freund  1
Affiliations

Expression of GDAP1 Gene Correlates With Alcohol Deprivation Effect

Rona Yarimay et al. Genes Brain Behav. 2025 Apr.

Abstract

Alcohol addiction is a widespread disease, and the exact causes and consequences are still not fully determined. Neurotransmitters and neuronal circuits are not only the target structure of alcohol and responsible for its direct effects but also play a central role in the development of addiction. A gene that has been linked to alcohol use disorder in recent studies is the ganglioside-induced differentiation-associated protein 1 (GDAP1) gene. The present study focuses on the hippocampus, a brain region particularly vulnerable to alcohol and rich in Gdap1 gene expression. Using an established drinking model, alcohol drinking behavior was induced in adult male Long Evans rats. After 6 weeks of voluntary alcohol intake, followed by 2 weeks of deprivation, the animals were divided into two groups based on the alcohol deprivation effect (ADE). Gdap1 gene expression was measured with real-time PCR in the hippocampus. Results reveal significantly decreased mRNA expression in the high ADE group compared to the low ADE group. This decrease was specifically detected within the cornu ammonis 3 (CA3) region. Gdap1 expression in this region also negatively correlated with ADE in all animals. Taken together, results indicate that Gdap1 might not only be associated with alcohol consumption but might even play a role in alcohol dependence.

Keywords: addiction; hippocampus; real‐time PCR; rodent models; voluntary drinking.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Voluntary alcohol consumption. After 6 weeks of voluntary alcohol consumption (A) animals consumed alcohol at relatively stable levels (B). After 2 weeks of deprivation of alcohol (A), a deprivation effect (ADE) could be observed (C). According to the ADE two groups were built (D). p < 0.05.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
GDAP1 gene expression in hippocampus. No hemispheric expression differences could be detected (A). However, the high ADE group showed significantly lower expression compared to the low ADE groups (B). This effect was mainly driven by the CA3 region of the hippocampus (C). GDAP1 expression in CA3 even negatively correlated with ADE (D). *p < 0.05.
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