The impact that alcohol dependence can have on a person and the people that care about them can be profound. Many of these people do not want to live with this dependence every day, but have yet to find a way to escape it completely.
Now, new research may offer hope. Science Daily recently reported on a study completed by researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg. These researchers have discovered a new brain mechanism that is involved in alcohol addiction. This mechanism also involved the stomach hormone ghrelin, a hormone produced by the stomach, which signals in the brain increases in hunger.
In this study, it was discovered that when ghrelin’s actions in the brain are blocked, the effects of alcohol on the reward system are reduced. When examined with alcohol addiction, the finding highlights the reward system of the brain as a key target for ghrelin’s effects. This discovery could lead to potential new therapies for those suffering with alcohol dependence.
“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, a leading expert in appetite regulation, in Science Daily.
This work is the result of a unique collaboration between the research groups of Prof Suzanne Dickson and Prof Emeritus Jörgen Engel, including researchers Dr Elisabet Jerlhag and Dr Emil Egecioglu.
This collaboration of work demonstrated that mice treated with ghrelin increase their alcohol consumption. When ghrelin’s actions were blocked, these mice no longer showed a preference for an alcohol-associated environment. The alcohol was no longer able to produce the addictive effects, including reward searching behavior.
“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.
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