Contribution of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase to Alcohol Use Disorder: A Systematic Review.

Recent research has suggested that chronic alcohol exposure induces changes in the endocannabinoid system within the central nervous system and therefore could be an attractive target for better understanding and treating alcohol use disorder (AUD). Much of this research has centered around the CB receptor and its endogenous partial agonist, the endocannabinoid anandamide, as the CB receptor is densely expressed in brain regions involved in development and maintenance of addictive behaviors. In addition, recent evidence has suggested that chronic alcohol exposure induces changes in the modulation of endocannabinoid concentration and suggests that these changes may contribute to the motivation to abuse alcohol.