HDAC9 and Anxiety: Some studies suggest that acute alcohol intake leads to histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition in the amygdala that would be the basis for increased histone acetylation and anxiolysis, while withdrawal, anxiety or adolescent alcohol exposure seems to be associated with increased HDAC activity (Pandey et al., 2017) and decreased acetylation (Pandey et al., 2008).