Profiling of miRNA transcriptomic changes using small RNA-seq in 8 regions of postmortem brains of subjects with alcohol use disorder

Purpose: The goal of this study to examine miRNA transcriptomic changes in reward-related brain regions of subjects with alcohol use disorder. Methods: Total RNAs were extracted from 8 reward-related regions of postmortem brains of 12 AUD and 12 control subjects (8x24=192 tissue samples). Small RNA sequencing was performed and the sequence reads were processed using the Comprehensive Analysis Pipeline for miRNA Sequencing Data (CAP-miRseq) workflow. AUD-associated miRNA transcriptomic changes were analyzed by the Limma-Voom method. Results: 19 differentially expressed mature miRNAs (absolute FC>2.0 & P<0.05) were identified in one or multiple brain regions Chronic alcohol consumption may alter miRNA transcriptome profiles in reward-related brain regions, thus changing the expression of their target mRNAs and resulting in alcohol-induced neuroadaptations. Cases and controls were matched by race, sex, age, etc.