Jove
Visualize
Contact Us

Related Concept Videos

CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine01:27

CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine

1.5K
Ethanol, a clear colorless alcohol, has been consumed by humans for millennia, but its effects on the body are far from benign. At lower doses, it induces decreased inhibitions and loquaciousness, leading to its social appeal. However, it can cause severe consequences at higher doses, such as coma and respiratory depression, due to its zero-order elimination kinetics. Chronic ethanol abuse wreaks havoc on multiple organ systems, particularly the CNS and the liver. Abrupt cessation of ethanol...
1.5K
Depressants01:28

Depressants

566
Depressant drugs, including alcohol and sedative-hypnotics, diminish central nervous system activity by enhancing the action of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that reduces brain activity and promotes relaxation. These substances can have various therapeutic uses but also pose significant risks, especially when misused or combined.
Alcohol is a common depressant that can induce a sense of relaxation and reduced inhibition at low doses. Contrary to its occasional...
566
Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents01:23

Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents

1.2K
Atypical antidepressants, including bupropion (Wellbutrin), mirtazapine (Remeron), nefazodone (Serzone), trazodone (Desyrel), and vilazodone (Viibryd), offer unique mechanisms of action. Bupropion weakly inhibits dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake, aiding depression treatment and smoking cessation, with a low risk of sexual dysfunction. Mirtazapine enhances serotonin and norepinephrine neurotransmission, leading to sedation, increased appetite, and weight gain. As a result, it helps treat...
1.2K
Drug Therapy01:28

Drug Therapy

391
The advent of drug therapy has profoundly shaped modern mental health care, providing targeted treatments for a range of psychological disorders. Psychotherapeutic drugs, classified into antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications, address symptoms across anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. While these medications have transformed patient outcomes, they require careful management due to their potential side effects and limitations.
Antianxiety Medications
391
Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Miscellaneous Agents01:17

Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Miscellaneous Agents

805
Sedatives and hypnotics encompass a wide range of substances, each with its unique mechanism of action, uses, and potential adverse effects.
Melatonin congeners like ramelteon (Rozerem) and tasimelteon (Hetlioz) selectively bind to melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) and thus mimic the actions of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. Tasimelteon is primarily used for non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder, common in blind patients. They are also used to treat conditions like insomnia...
805
CNS Depressants: Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines01:14

CNS Depressants: Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines

1.6K
CNS depressants include drugs from the category of barbiturates and benzodiazepines. They are valuable medications for managing anxiety disorders and insomnia. Barbiturates, once used to induce and maintain sleep, have been replaced mainly by benzodiazepines due to barbiturate's toxicity, tolerance, and overdose risks. They interact with GABAA receptors, leading to sedation at low doses and potentially coma and death at higher doses. Phenobarbital, a long-acting barbiturate, possesses...
1.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

DeepER-Med: Advancing Deep Evidence-Based Research in Medicine Through Agentic AI.

ArXiv·2026
Same author

Toward Multimodal Conversational AI for Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

ArXiv·2026
Same author

Clinical Outcomes of Ocular Toxoplasmosis-Associated Rhegmatogenous and Tractional Retinal Detachment.

Journal of vitreoretinal diseases·2026
Same author

Removal of scleral buckle: indications, long-term outcomes and comparison with the literature.

International journal of retina and vitreous·2026
Same author

What Should Patients With Age-Related Macular Degeneration Eat?

American journal of ophthalmology·2026
Same author

Deep Ensemble Learning to Detect Retinal Vascular Leakage on Ultrawide-Field Fundus Photographs of Patients With Uveitis.

Translational vision science & technology·2026
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 24, 2026

Murine Drinking Models in the Development of Pharmacotherapies for Alcoholism: Drinking in the Dark and Two-bottle Choice
07:31

Murine Drinking Models in the Development of Pharmacotherapies for Alcoholism: Drinking in the Dark and Two-bottle Choice

Published on: January 7, 2019

8.8K

Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder.

Bradford T Winslow1, Mary Onysko1, Melanie Hebert2

  • 1Swedish Family Medicine Residency Program, Littleton, CO, USA.

American Family Physician
|March 16, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Screening adults for alcohol misuse is recommended, but few receive treatment. Approved medications like acamprosate and naltrexone show modest effects, while others require further study for effective alcohol use disorder treatment.

More Related Videos

Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder
05:12

Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder

Published on: June 23, 2023

1.7K
Investigating Drivers of Antireward in Addiction Behavior with Anatomically Specific Single-Cell Gene Expression Methods
09:29

Investigating Drivers of Antireward in Addiction Behavior with Anatomically Specific Single-Cell Gene Expression Methods

Published on: August 4, 2022

2.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 24, 2026

Murine Drinking Models in the Development of Pharmacotherapies for Alcoholism: Drinking in the Dark and Two-bottle Choice
07:31

Murine Drinking Models in the Development of Pharmacotherapies for Alcoholism: Drinking in the Dark and Two-bottle Choice

Published on: January 7, 2019

8.8K
Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder
05:12

Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder

Published on: June 23, 2023

1.7K
Investigating Drivers of Antireward in Addiction Behavior with Anatomically Specific Single-Cell Gene Expression Methods
09:29

Investigating Drivers of Antireward in Addiction Behavior with Anatomically Specific Single-Cell Gene Expression Methods

Published on: August 4, 2022

2.9K

Area of Science:

  • Addiction Medicine
  • Pharmacology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for alcohol misuse and brief counseling.
  • A small percentage of American adults with high-risk alcohol use receive treatment.
  • Effective pharmacological interventions for alcohol use disorder (AUD) are crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current FDA-approved medications for AUD.
  • To evaluate the efficacy of other potential medications for reducing alcohol consumption.
  • To identify areas for future research in AUD pharmacotherapy.

Main Methods:

  • Review of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications for AUD.
  • Examination of evidence for medications like acamprosate, disulfiram, and naltrexone.
  • Assessment of emerging medications including topiramate, gabapentin, sertraline, fluoxetine, and ondansetron for alcohol use reduction.

Main Results:

  • Acamprosate and naltrexone modestly reduce alcohol consumption and increase abstinence.
  • Evidence for disulfiram's effectiveness is inconsistent.
  • Topiramate and gabapentin may reduce alcohol intake, but lack long-term data.
  • Antidepressants do not reduce alcohol use in non-mood disordered patients; sertraline and fluoxetine may help depressed patients.
  • Ondansetron shows potential in specific populations.

Conclusions:

  • Current FDA-approved medications offer modest benefits for AUD treatment.
  • Several other medications show promise but require further investigation, particularly for long-term efficacy and specific subpopulations.
  • Further research into genetically targeted and as-needed medications is needed to improve alcohol use disorder treatment outcomes.