β-Endorphin influences sedative and ataxic effects of alcohol.

Beta-endorphin (β-E) is an opioid peptide linked to the behavioral effects of ethanol. For example, β-E provides negative feedback to inhibit the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress axis, and neuroadaptation of this system to ethanol may facilitate sex differences in disordered drinking. Locomotor sensitivity to ethanol may also influence the risk for addiction; however, the role of β-E in psychomotor effects of ethanol is not fully understood.