New research has given scientists a better understanding of how two systems in the brain ““ one linked to stress response, and the other to the brain’s reward system ““ interact during binge-drinking episodes.
The new insight could help identify strategies to treat and prevent alcohol dependence, researchers say. The findings are now online in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
“This study is an important contribution to our knowledge of the neurobiology of alcohol-use disorders and could open new avenues for medication development,” said George F. Koob, Ph.D., director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), in a press release. The NIAAA, one of the agencies of the National Institutes of Health, was the primary sponsor of the research.
Binge drinking is a factor in many public health issues, and accounts for about three-quarters of alcohol misuse’s economic impact, which is estimated at $223.5 billion. Many studies have shown that binge drinking by teens and college-age young adults contributes to alcohol dependence and anxiety disorders, according to the NIAAA.
In the U.S., public health officials estimate, approximately 17 million adults 18 and older have an alcohol-use disorder; about 1.4 million received treatment related to their alcohol use in 2012.
Previous research has shown that brain signals sent by a protein called CRF cause anxiety. CRF increases during binge-drinking episodes. Another brain protein called NPY has the opposite effect in the brain, and is known to prevent binge drinking and anxiety.
Researchers don’t yet know how or why the two opposing systems interact in the brain.
In the current study, researchers led by Thomas L. Kash, Ph.D., at the University of North Carolina’s Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Chapel Hill, found that the effects of NPY, the protein that inhibits binge-drinking, were strengthened by suppressing the brain cells that produce CRF in a region of the brain involved in anxiety and reward behaviors. Kash and his colleagues studied the interactions in animal models.
The researchers found that NPY inhibited the equivalent of binge drinking in mice. They also found that NPY’s ability to suppress binge drinking was reduced in animals that simulated long-term alcohol use.
The findings could suggest targets for the development of drug treatments for alcohol dependence, Kash said in an NIAAA press release.
If you or a loved one have alcohol-use disorder or another form of chemical dependency, St. Elizabeth Healthcare is a place you can turn to for help. You can click here to learn more or call 859-301-5966.
