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Implication of the endogenous opioid system in excessive ethanol consumption
C Gianoulakis1, J P de Waele, J Thavundayil
1Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Verdun, Quebec, Canada.
Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.)
|January 1, 1996
Summary
Genetic factors influence alcohol consumption vulnerability. The endogenous opioid system, particularly beta-endorphin, plays a key role in mediating alcohol
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Genetic predisposition influences susceptibility to excessive alcohol consumption.
- The endogenous opioid system is implicated in the reinforcing effects of ethanol (alcohol).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the endogenous opioid system, specifically beta-endorphin, in genetic vulnerability to excessive alcohol consumption.
- To explore the impact of opioidergic activity on ethanol reinforcement and consumption.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of beta-endorphin activity in humans and mice genetically predisposed to high alcohol consumption versus controls.
- Administration of opioid antagonists (naloxone, naltrexone) to assess their effect on ethanol consumption in animal models and recovering alcoholics.
Main Results:
- Individuals and mice at high genetic risk for excessive alcohol consumption exhibit altered basal and ethanol-induced beta-endorphin activity.
- Increased opioidergic activity following ethanol intake appears to mediate reward and reinforce drinking behavior.
- Opioid antagonists significantly reduced ethanol consumption in both ethanol-preferring animals and recovering human alcoholics.
Conclusions:
- The endogenous opioid system, particularly beta-endorphin, is a critical neurobiological pathway involved in the genetic vulnerability to excessive alcohol consumption.
- Targeting the opioid system with antagonists may represent a therapeutic strategy for reducing alcohol consumption and treating alcohol use disorder.