Abstract
To investigate the mechanisms mediating blunted hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis in alcoholics, we measured plasma mineralocorticoids (deoxycorticosterone, DOC; aldosterone, ALD) and glucocorticoids (cortisol) in male rhesus monkeys during controlled induction of alcohol drinking then 12 months of daily “open access” to alcohol and water for 22 h/d. Heavy alcohol drinking was defined >; 3.0 g/kg/d alcohol (~12 drinks). Morning hormones were measured for ~20 months at ~6–8‐week intervals in four cohorts of differing ages, basal testosterone and alcohol intake: adolescents, 3/8 heavy drinkers; young adults, two cohorts; older adults, 0/11 heavy drinkers. Four adolescent monkeys were isocaloric controls. Perhaps related to environmental history, one of the young adult cohorts had greater testosterone at baseline (5/8 heavy drinkers) compared to the other (0/8 heavy drinkers). ALD and DOC were constant except amongst adolescent monkeys, for whom DOC decreased during open access. Cortisol decreased during open access compared to induction, significantly for the heaviest drinkers. Glucocorticoids were more sensitive than mineralocorticoids to chronic alcohol self‐administration. Early age of onset may increase mineralocorticoid regulation by alcohol that could contribute to later heavy drinking, e.g., via neuroactive steroid metabolites like allotetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone.
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