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Addiction

Damping down alcohol dependence

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery volume 7, pages 290–291 (2008)Cite this article

Previous studies have shown that genetic deletion or pharmacological blockade of NK1R dampens behavioural responses to psychological stressors. So, the authors proposed that modulation of NK1R signalling may also influence stress- and reward-related processes that are important for excessive alcohol use and relapse.

The hypothesis was first tested in genetically modified mice. Nk1r−/− mice that had continuous alcohol availability had markedly lower alcohol consumption levels compared with wild-type mice. Effects were starker when the alcohol concentrations were at the high-end of the concentrations tested (3–15%), when pharmacological effects override other motivations for alcohol intake, such as taste. Heterozygous mice had similar alcohol consumption levels to controls, indicating that near complete inactivation of NK1R was necessary to suppress alcohol intake.

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References

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. George, T. D. et al. Neurokinin 1 receptor antagonism as a possible therapy for alcoholism. Science 14 Feb 2008 (doi: 10.1126/science.1153813)

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FURTHER READING

  1. Heilig, M. & Egli, M. Pharmacological treatment of alcohol dependence: target symptoms and target mechanisms. Pharmacol. Ther. 111, 855–876 (2006)

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Authors
  1. Man Tsuey Tse
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Tse, M. Damping down alcohol dependence. Nat Rev Drug Discov 7, 290–291 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd2556

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd2556

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