The role of the cannabinoid system in the pathogenesis and treatment of alcohol dependence
Journal Title: Advances in Hygiene and Experimental Medicine - Year 2011, Vol 65, Issue 0
Abstract
The lack of satisfactory results of alcohol dependence treatment force us to search for new directions of research. Recent studies concentrate on endocannabinoid transmission. The results show an interplay between the endocannabinoid and dopaminergic signaling in activation of the limbic reward system. The mechanisms leading to development of dependence are very complex and poorly recognized. Endogenous cannabinoids seem to have an important role in the functioning of this system, both directly and indirectly affecting the level of different neurotransmitters. The effect of alcohol on the endocannabinoid system is also complex and involves changes at the molecular level. Experimental studies have demonstrated an important role of the CB1 receptors in the neurochemical mechanism of alcohol consumption and its regulation. SR141716 (rimonabant), a CB1 receptor antagonist, significantly lowers voluntary alcohol intake and motivation for its consumption in various experimental studies. Very encouraging results of preclinical studies were not completely confirmed in the clinical studies. However, further clinical studies are still necessary.
Authors and Affiliations
Bogusława Pietrzak, Agnieszka Dunaj, Karolina Piątkowska
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP66543
- DOI -
- Views 164
- Downloads 0
Transformation of medicinal plants using Agrobacterium tumefaciens
For many years attempts are made to develop efficient methods for transformation of medicinal plants via Agrobacterium tumefaciens. It is a soil bacteria which possess a natural ability to infect plants in places of inju...
Amylin under examination. Fibrillation – cytotoxic pancreatic polypeptide aggregation
In patients or animals affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2, non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus [NIDDM]), some pathological deposits, called amyloid, are observed among cells of islets of Langerhans. Among othe...
Meropenem – therapeutic recommendation after twenty years of presence on pharmaceutical market
Meropenem is the first representative of carbapenem analogues with methyl group, which has been applied in medicine. This drug has been approved by FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in 1996. Available results of clinica...
Long-term consumption of fish oil partially protects brain tissue from age-related neurodegeneration
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of fish oil supplementation on aging in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum of rats. Results of biochemical and histological analyses of brain tissue coll...
Badanie przydatności specyficznych wskaźników biochemicznych w ocenie funkcji nerek u osób uzależnionych od narkotyków