New anxiety drug reboots the brain and reverses the damage caused by heavy drinking

A new anxiety drug reboots the brain and reverses the damage caused by heavy drinking, a new study found.Show more

The drug tandospirone helped brain cells regenerate and stopped anxiety caused when drinkers go "cold turkey" by curbing cravings.

Heavy drinking inhibits neurogenesis, the brain's ability to grow and replace neurons or brain cells.

But in mice experiments the drug reversed the effects of a 15-week long binge, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researchers found.