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Discovery may provide new treatments for alcohol dependence
July 01, 2009Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg, have discovered a new brain mechanism involved in alcohol addiction involving the stomach hormone ghrelin. When ghrelin's actions in the brain are blocked, alcohol's effects on the reward system are reduced. It is an important discovery that could lead to new therapies for addictions such as alcohol dependence.
The results will be published in the renowned American scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Ghrelin is a hormone produced by the stomach and, by signalling in the brain, increases hunger. The new finding, that it is also involved in alcohol addiction, highlights the reward system of the brain as a key target for ghrelin's effects. "Ghrelin's actions in the brain may be of importance for all kinds of addictions, including chemical drugs such as alcohol and even food" says Suzanne Dickson, Professor of Physiology, a leading expert in appetite regulation.
The work emerged from 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. They show that mice treated with ghrelin increase their alcohol consumption. When ghrelin's actions are blocked, for example, by administering ghrelin receptor antagonists, mice no longer show preference for an alcohol-associated environment -in other words, alcohol is no longer able to produce its addictive effects, that include reward searching behaviour (akin to craving in alcoholic 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", says 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.
FACTS on alcohol dependence
It is estimated that five percent of the adult Swedish population are alcohol dependent. Alcohol dependence is a complex and chronic disease which leads to adverse consequences affecting not only the patient but also their immediate family and has a profound economic burden on society (estimated to be around 60-100 billion kronor per year). Each year about 8,000 Swedes die of alcohol-related diseases.
University of Gothenburg, Sweden
The work emerged from 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. They show that mice treated with ghrelin increase their alcohol consumption. When ghrelin's actions are blocked, for example, by administering ghrelin receptor antagonists, mice no longer show preference for an alcohol-associated environment -in other words, alcohol is no longer able to produce its addictive effects, that include reward searching behaviour (akin to craving in alcoholic 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", says 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.
FACTS on alcohol dependence
It is estimated that five percent of the adult Swedish population are alcohol dependent. Alcohol dependence is a complex and chronic disease which leads to adverse consequences affecting not only the patient but also their immediate family and has a profound economic burden on society (estimated to be around 60-100 billion kronor per year). Each year about 8,000 Swedes die of alcohol-related diseases.
University of Gothenburg, Sweden
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Family history predicts presence and course of psychiatric disorders
A family history of depression, anxiety, alcohol dependence or drug dependence is associated with the presence of each condition and also may predict its course and prognosis.
To predict the severity of mental disease, consider the family
We've all been asked at routine visits to the doctor to record our family's history with medical problems like cancer, diabetes or heart disease. But when it comes to mental disorders, usually mum's the word.
Site for alcohol's action in the brain discovered
lcohol's inebriating effects are familiar to everyone. But the molecular details of alcohol's impact on brain activity remain a mystery.
New gene discovery links obesity to the brain
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People with parents who fight are more likely to have mental health problems in later life
People with parents who were violent to each other are more likely to have mental health problems when they grow up.
Mayo clinic study finds gene bringing together animal and human research in alcoholism
An important genetic study conducted through Mayo Clinic has identified vital new information concerning alcoholism in subjects with European ancestry, according to a recent issue of Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research.
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Alcohol Dependence Lifeline Audio Books (Primary Contributor) |
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