Alcohol: mechanisms along the mesolimbic dopamine system
Jörgen A Engel1, Elisabet Jerlhag1
1Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Progress in Brain Research
|June 28, 2014
Summary
Alcohol dependence disrupts the brain's reward system, particularly the mesolimbic dopamine pathway. Understanding alcohol's neurochemical effects may reveal new treatments for alcohol use disorder.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurobiology
- Addiction Research
Background:
- The mesolimbic dopamine system, a key reward pathway, is disrupted in alcohol dependence.
- Understanding alcohol's neurochemical impact on this system is crucial for developing effective treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the neurochemical mechanisms underlying alcohol's activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system.
- To explore the role of dopamine and other neurochemicals in alcohol dependence.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing data on alcohol's effects on reward pathways.
- Examination of studies involving dopamine stabilizers like (-)-OSU6162.
- Analysis of research on alcohol's impact on ligand-gated ion channels and gut-brain peptides.
Main Results:
- Alcohol directly activates the mesolimbic dopamine system.
- Dopamine plays a significant role in alcohol dependence.
- Gut-brain peptides such as ghrelin and glucagon-like peptide-1 are implicated in alcohol's effects.
Conclusions:
- Elucidating alcohol's neurochemical mechanisms offers potential therapeutic targets for alcohol dependence.
- Dopamine modulation and understanding gut-brain peptide involvement are key areas for future research.
Related Concept Videos
01:15Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena
1.6K
Drug dependence, abuse, and addiction are complex phenomena that can precipitate various abnormal states. Physical dependence refers to a state of pharmacological adaptation to a drug. This adaptation often results in tolerance—a reduced response to the drug after repeated administrations. When the drug use is abruptly stopped, withdrawal symptoms occur due to the body's need to readjust from the pharmacologically induced imbalance. However, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms do not...
1.6K
01:25Adrenergic Agonists: Indirect-Acting Agents
2.8K
Indirect-acting adrenergic agonists potentiate the effects of endogenous catecholamines through different mechanisms without directly binding to adrenoceptors.
One mechanism involves depleting stored catecholamines by displacing them from synaptic vesicles. These agents, known as "displacers," are transported into vesicles at the expense of noradrenaline. Examples include amphetamine and tyramine, which lack a catechol moiety, resulting in prolonged action, improved oral...
One mechanism involves depleting stored catecholamines by displacing them from synaptic vesicles. These agents, known as "displacers," are transported into vesicles at the expense of noradrenaline. Examples include amphetamine and tyramine, which lack a catechol moiety, resulting in prolonged action, improved oral...
2.8K
01:24Parkinson Disease ll: Pathophysiology
22
Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder primarily affecting movement, with additional non-motor features. Its pathophysiology involves complex interactions among genetic susceptibility, environmental exposures, and cellular dysfunction, including dopaminergic neuron loss, protein aggregation, and mitochondrial impairment.Selective NeurodegenerationA key feature is the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, leading to reduced...
22
01:29Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Synthesis
2.5K
Drugs affecting neurotransmitter synthesis can impact the adrenergic neuron and the synthesis of neurotransmitters. For example, α-methyltyrosine and carbidopa target specific enzymes involved in catecholamine synthesis. α-methyltyrosine inhibits the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase, which converts tyrosine into dopamine. By blocking this enzyme, α-methyltyrosine reduces dopamine production and other catecholamines. Carbidopa, on the other hand, inhibits the enzyme dopa decarboxylase,...
2.5K
01:27Psychosis: Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
2.5K
Schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder whose origins are rooted in complex genetic components. Despite our burgeoning understanding, the pathophysiology of this disorder remains incompletely deciphered.
Researchers have identified genetic factors that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia, underscoring the intricate interplay between genetics and environment in disease development. At the core of schizophrenia's pathophysiology is excessive dopaminergic neurotransmission within...
Researchers have identified genetic factors that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia, underscoring the intricate interplay between genetics and environment in disease development. At the core of schizophrenia's pathophysiology is excessive dopaminergic neurotransmission within...
2.5K
01:26Neurochemical Transmission: Sites of Drug Action
3.4K
Neurochemical transmission, the conduction of electrical impulses between neurons mediated by neurotransmitters, plays a vital role in various physiological processes. Autonomic drugs exert their effects by modulating neurotransmission within the autonomic nervous system. For instance, drugs such as hemicholinium block the precursor uptake necessary for synthesizing acetylcholine, an essential autonomic neurotransmitter. Following synthesis, neurotransmitters are stored in vesicles. Metyrosine...
3.4K