Researchers have discovered a new brain mechanism involved in alcohol addiction. When the stomach hormone ghrelin is blocked in the brain, alcohol’s effects on the reward system are reduced. This important discovery could lead to new treatments for alcohol dependence and other types of addiction.
Ghrelin is a hormone produced by the stomach and increases hunger when signaled in the brain. “Ghrelin’s actions in the brain may be of importance for all kinds of addictions, including chemical drugs such as alcohol and even food,” said Suzanne Dickson, Professor of Physiology and a leading expert in appetite regulation.
Dickson and colleagues at the Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg, showed that ghrelin increased alcohol consumption in mice. When ghrelin’s actions were blocked (by administering ghrelin receptor antagonists), the mice no longer showed preference for an alcohol-associated environment. In other words, alcohol was no longer able to produce its addictive effects, which include reward seeking behavior (similar to craving in alcohol dependent patients).
“If we can develop drugs that block the receptors for ghrelin, we could have a new effective treatment for alcohol dependence. It may however take several years until such a pharmacological treatment will reach the patient”, said Professor Emeritus Jörgen Engel, an authority on research on alcohol dependency at the Sahlgrenska Academy. The group has submitted a patent application for this invention.
Comments on this entry are closed.