Zinc supplementation improves outcomes associated with traumatic brain injury but does not overcome risks associated with combined ethanol intake (122.4)

In addition to the known behavioral and cognitive impairments, including memory deficits, depression, and anxiety associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI), there is an increased risk for new onset heavy weekly drinking, binge drinking, and alcohol-related problems. Our previously published work has shown that zinc supplementation robustly reduces behavioral deficits associated with TBI. Our objective was to examine the behavioral and cellular outcomes associated with TBI that are complicated by ethanol consumption, as well as the effect of zinc supplementation on these outcomes. Adult male rats were fed a zinc supplemented (180 ppm) or zinc adequate (30 ppm) diet for 4 weeks followed by a moderately-severe TBI using controlled cortical impact. After injury, rats were given 3 g/kg of ethanol daily for 7 days via gavage. Ethanol intake exacerbated TBI-induced anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors and significantly impaired the efficacy of zinc supplementation. While ethanol did not worsen learning ...