Targeting the intracellular signaling "STOP" and "GO" pathways for the treatment of alcohol use disorders

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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

Dorit Ron1, Anthony Berger2

  • 1Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. Dorit.Ron@ucsf.edu.

Psychopharmacology
|April 15, 2018
PubMed

Insights

This review explores the GO and STOP signaling pathways involved in alcohol use disorder (AUD). Understanding these molecular mechanisms offers potential new treatments for AUD by targeting alcohol consumption regulation.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a complex condition with underlying molecular and neural substrates.
  • Transition from moderate alcohol consumption to excessive, compulsive use is a hallmark of AUD.
  • Resilience factors and mechanisms that regulate alcohol intake are crucial for understanding AUD development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the molecular and neural substrates of alcohol consumption.
  • To define and discuss the GO (promoting alcohol use) and STOP (inhibiting alcohol use) intracellular signaling pathways.
  • To explore the therapeutic potential of manipulating these pathways for AUD treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on molecular and neural mechanisms of alcohol consumption.
  • Analysis of intracellular signaling pathways (GO and STOP) implicated in AUD.
  • Discussion of current knowledge on pathway manipulation for AUD treatment.

Main Results:

  • Identification of specific GO signaling pathways driving excessive and compulsive alcohol use.
  • Characterization of STOP signaling pathways conferring resilience against AUD development.
  • Evidence suggesting that targeting GO and STOP pathways could be a viable treatment strategy for AUD.

Conclusions:

  • The GO and STOP signaling pathways represent key molecular targets for understanding and treating AUD.
  • Further research into these pathways may lead to novel therapeutic interventions for alcohol use disorder.
  • Manipulating intracellular signaling offers a promising avenue for managing excessive and compulsive alcohol use.
Keywords:
AddictionAlcoholBDNFFynGDNFMedication DevelopmentSignalingTranslationmTOR

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