Inflammatory Biomarkers, Microbiome, Depression, and Executive Dysfunction in Alcohol Users

Mary Rodríguez-Rabassa, Pablo López, Raphael Sánchez, Cyanela Hernández, Cesarly Rodríguez, Ronald E. Rodríguez-Santiago, Juan C. Orengo, Vivian Green, Yasuhiro Yamamura and Vanessa Rivera-Amill
Additional contact information
Mary Rodríguez-Rabassa: Center for Research Resources, Ponce Health Sciences University-Ponce Research Institute, Ponce, PR 00716-2348, USA
Pablo López: Center for Research Resources, Ponce Health Sciences University-Ponce Research Institute, Ponce, PR 00716-2348, USA
Raphael Sánchez: Center for Research Resources, Ponce Health Sciences University-Ponce Research Institute, Ponce, PR 00716-2348, USA
Cyanela Hernández: Clinical Psychology Program, Ponce Health Sciences University-Ponce Research Institute, Ponce, PR 00716-2348, USA
Cesarly Rodríguez: Clinical Psychology Program, Ponce Health Sciences University-Ponce Research Institute, Ponce, PR 00716-2348, USA
Ronald E. Rodríguez-Santiago: Center for Research Resources, Ponce Health Sciences University-Ponce Research Institute, Ponce, PR 00716-2348, USA
Juan C. Orengo: Public Health Program, Ponce Health Sciences University-Ponce Research Institute, Ponce, PR 00716-2348, USA
Vivian Green: Public Health Program, Ponce Health Sciences University-Ponce Research Institute, Ponce, PR 00716-2348, USA
Yasuhiro Yamamura: Center for Research Resources, Ponce Health Sciences University-Ponce Research Institute, Ponce, PR 00716-2348, USA
Vanessa Rivera-Amill: Center for Research Resources, Ponce Health Sciences University-Ponce Research Institute, Ponce, PR 00716-2348, USA

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-24

Abstract: Alcohol-related disorders (ARD) are highly prevalent among Latin American-Caribbean countries. Mental disorders are common comorbidities in individuals with ARD. However, the etiology of the association between ARD and mental disorders remains unclear. We examined the association of inflammatory cytokines, microbiome, and other biomakers with measures of depression, social anxiety, and executive functions. We observed a significant increase in cytokine and chemokine expression levels in saliva and plasma in the alcohol group (AG) samples. Also, the salivary bacterial composition in the AG revealed an abundance of Prevotella . Depression symptomatology was markedly higher in the AG, but social anxiety levels were negligible. AG also exhibited executive dysfunctions, which negatively correlated with increased plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and increased salivary concentrations of Prevotella bacteria. Our study suggests that chronic alcohol use correlates with executive dysfunction, immune system dysregulation, and dysbiosis of the salivary microbiota. Additional studies are needed to understand the role of the microbiome and inflammation in alcohol use and mental comorbidities.

Keywords: executive dysfunction; depression; alcohol; cytokines; microbiome (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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