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Updated: Apr 20, 2026

Investigating Drivers of Antireward in Addiction Behavior with Anatomically Specific Single-Cell Gene Expression Methods
Published on: August 4, 2022
DNA methylation of the LEP gene is associated with craving during alcohol withdrawal
Thomas Hillemacher1, Christian Weinland2, Bernd Lenz2
1Center for Addiction Research (CARe), Department of Psychiatry, Socialpsychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; Molecular Neurosciences Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Socialpsychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Abstract:
Different studies have described evidence for an association between leptin serum levels and craving in alcohol dependent patients. As leptin expression is regulated by DNA methylation we investigated changes of DNA methylation of the LEP gene promoter region in alcohol dependent patients undergoing withdrawal. Results show that low methylation status is associated with increasing serum leptin levels and elevation of craving for alcohol in the referring patients group. These findings point towards a pathophysiological relevance of changes in DNA methylation of the LEP gene promoter region in alcohol dependence.
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