Altered microRNA expression profiles in the postmortem prefrontal cortex of individuals with alcohol use disorder: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs are critical regulators of neuronal plasticity, synaptic signaling, and stress response, and their dysregulation has been implicated in substance use disorders. However, postmortem evidence on their involvement in Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) remains limited. We aimed to investigate the expression patterns of miR-132, miR-133b, miR-140, miR-181a, miR-190, and miR-212 in the prefrontal cortex of individuals with AUD. METHODS: method, with U6 RNA as endogenous control. RESULTS: Individuals with AUD exhibited increased expression of miR-133b (fold change: 4.4, p = 0.035), and miR-212 (fold change: 1.57, p = 0.006), while miR-132 (fold change: 3, p < 0.001) and miR-190 (fold change: 2.63, p = 0.003) were markedly downregulated compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: The differential expression of these miRNAs suggests their involvement in neuronal signaling pathways underlying AUD, particularly those linked to synaptic plasticity and stress-related transcriptional regulation.