Translational Studies of Alcoholism
1
Citation
151
Reference
20
Related Paper
Abstract:
Human studies are necessary to identify and classify the brain systems predisposing individuals to develop alcohol use disorders and those modified by alcohol, while animal models of alcoholism are essential for a mechanistic understanding of how chronic voluntary alcohol consumption becomes compulsive, how brain systems become damaged, and how damage resolves. Our current knowledge of the neuroscience of alcohol dependence has evolved from the interchange of information gathered from both human alcoholics and animal models of alcoholism. Together, studies in humans and animal models have provided support for the involvement of specific brain structures over the course of alcohol addiction, including the prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, cerebellum, amygdala, hippocampus,Keywords:
Animal model
Human brain
Alcohol Dependence
Cite
Anticipation (artificial intelligence)
Neurotransmitter Systems
Cite
Citations (15)
We review drug addiction from the perspective of the hypothesis that drugs of abuse interact with distinct brain memory systems. We focus on emotional and procedural forms of memory, encompassing Pavlovian and instrumental conditioning, both for action–outcome and for stimulus–response associations. Neural structures encompassed by these systems include the amygdala, hippocampus, nucleus accumbens, and dorsal striatum. Additional influences emanate from the anterior cingulate and prefrontal cortex, which are implicated in the encoding and retrieval of drug‐related memories that lead to drug craving and drug use. Finally, we consider the ancillary point that chronic abuse of many drugs may impact directly on neural memory systems via neuroadaptive and neurotoxic effects that lead to cognitive impairments in which memory dysfunction is prominent.
Cite
Citations (437)
Substance addiction is a major medical and societal problem affecting millions of people. Loss of control over substance use is a hallmark of addiction. This is reflected, for example, in persistent substance use despite knowledge of substance-related problems. This thesis focusses on loss of control over substance use and other ... read more behavioural characteristics of addiction. The overarching aim of this thesis was to gain insight into changes in brain and behaviour that characterise substance addiction. To this aim, we used behavioural models that capture important aspects of addictive behaviour in combination with neuropharmacological interventions in rats. We developed a new behavioural task to assess control over reward seeking, which can be further used in future preclinical research. We also investigated how different behavioural aspects that are associated with alcohol addiction were related. For this analysis, we considered alcohol intake, habit formation, motivation for alcohol and the degree to which alcohol consumption is sensitive to negative stimuli. These behavioural components were found to contribute in different degrees to the addiction phenotype across individual animals. Moreover, we investigated the role of the neurotransmitter dopamine in weighing costs and benefits, and we studied the involvement of other neurotransmitters, namely GABA, opioids, and glutamate, in individual differences in alcohol consumption. Altogether, the findings in this thesis contribute to a better understanding of the underlying behavioural and neurobiological processes of addiction. Ultimately, the accumulating knowledge on addiction will help the development of more effective treatments for this brain disorder. show less
Neurotransmitter Systems
Substance dependence
Cite
Citations (1)
Animal model
Cite
Citations (48)
Objective: This article reviews the literature on adolescent brain development and considers the impact of these neural alterations on the propensity to use and misuse alcohol. Methods: Neural, behavioral and hormonal characteristics of adolescents across a variety of species were examined, along with a review of the ontogeny of ethanol responsiveness, tolerance development and stress/alcohol interactions. Results: The adolescent brain is a brain in transition. Prominent among the brain regions undergoing developmental change during adolescence in a variety of species are the prefrontal cortex and other forebrain dopamine projection regions, stressor-sensitive areas that form part of the neural circuitry modulating the motivational value of alcohol and other reinforcing stimuli. Along with these characteristic brain features, adolescents also exhibit increased stressor responsivity and an altered sensitivity to a variety of ethanol effects. Findings are mixed to date as to whether exposure to ethanol during this time of rapid brain development alters neurocognitive function and later propensity for problematic ethanol use. Conclusions: Developmental transformations of the adolescent brain may have been evolutionarily advantageous in promoting behavioral adaptations to avoid inbreeding and to facilitate the transition to independence. These brain transformations may also alter sensitivity of adolescents to a number of alcohol effects, leading perhaps in some cases to higher intakes to attain reinforcing effects. These features of the adolescent brain may also increase the sensitivity of adolescents to stressors, further escalating their propensity to initiate alcohol use. Additional investigations are needed to resolve whether ethanol use during adolescence disrupts maturational processes in ethanol-sensitive brain regions.
Neurocognitive
Stressor
Forebrain
Brain Development
Cite
Citations (195)
Orbitofrontal cortex
Ventral striatum
Alcohol use disorder
Incentive salience
Alcohol Dependence
Cite
Citations (242)
Psychological dependence
Rodent model
Cite
Citations (176)
Alcohol research has focused on the identification of brain mechanisms that support reinforcing actions of alcohol and the changes in neural function induced by chronic alcohol consumption. Chronic exposure to alcohol induces changes in neural circuits that control motivational processes, including affect, arousal, …
Affect
Brain Function
Cite
Citations (0)
Abstract This article discusses the neurocircuitry and the neurochemical systems, as well as the molecular elements within these systems, that are believed to be important in the etiology of alcoholism. Alcoholism is a complex behavioral disorder characterized by excessive consumption of alcohol; a narrowing of the behavioral repertoire toward excessive consumption; the development of tolerance and dependence; and impairment in social and occupational functioning. Animal models of the complete syndrome of alcoholism are difficult if not impossible to achieve, but validated animal models exist for many of the different components of the syndrome. Recent work has begun to define the neurocircuits responsible for the major sources of positive and negative reinforcement that are key to animal models of excessive alcohol intake. Alcohol appears to interact with alcohol-sensitive elements within neuronal membranes that convey the specificity of neurochemical actions. Positive reinforcement appears to be mediated by an activation γ-aminobutyric acid A receptors, release of opioid peptides and dopamine, inhibition of glutamate receptors, and interaction with serotonin systems. These neurocircuits may be altered by chronic alcohol administration. This is reflected by their exhibiting opposite effects during acute alcohol withdrawal, and by the recruitment of other neurotransmitter systems, such as the stress neuropeptide corticotropin-releasing factor. These neuropharmacologic actions are believed to produce allostatic changes in set-point, which set up the vulnerability to relapse that is so characteristic of alcoholism. Future challenges include a focus on understanding exactly how these neuroadaptive changes convey vulnerability to relapse in animals with a history of alcohol dependence.
Neurochemical
Alcohol Dependence
Extended amygdala
Alcohol use disorder
Neurotransmitter Systems
Cite
Citations (51)