The serotonin system in a woman's brain gets affected more with alcohol consumption than the same in the men's brains, according to a new study.

The serotonin system in the brain manages a person's impulse control and mood. The changes in men's serotonin system can be noticed after 12 years of alcohol drinking which the same can be detected in women after just 4 years, according to the research carried out at the Department of Psychology and the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

The researchers from various disciples studied a group of women and a group of men with alcohol dependence to study three of the major neurotransmitter systems in a person's brain under the project named, Gothenburg Alcohol Research Project (GARP).

"We have used what is known as neuroendocrine techniques to show that it is principally the serotonergic system in the brain that is seriously impaired by alcohol. This is the system that regulates impulse control and mood, among other functions", says Kristina Berglund, scientist at the Department of Psychology and representative for the research group.

The team found that both men and women get affected with alcohol but the affect in women was found to be faster than that in men. They found that the function of women's serotonin system fell 50% after just four years with alcohol dependence, compared to 12 years for men.

This gene variant is tied with higher incidence of relapses among the individuals, the research found.