Fig. 1.

Alcohol dependence is associated with increased plasma TIMP-1 and BDNF in women. Two-way ANOVAs, followed by post hoc tests as appropriate, were conducted comparing plasma levels of MMP-3, TIMP-1, and BDNF in control and alcohol dependent groups. Female participants had significantly lower levels of MMP-3 than male participants, regardless of their alcohol use disorder history (A). Female and male participants had similar levels of TIMP-1 and BDNF, but compared to their same-sex control group, women with a current or recent history of alcohol dependence had increased plasma levels of TIMP-1 (B) and BDNF (C). *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01. Graphs depict mean ± standard error of the mean (S.E.M)