This review represents the focus of a symposium that was presented at the "Alcoholism and Stress: A Framework for Future Treatment Strategies" conference in Volterra, Italy on May 3-6, 2011 and organized/chaired by Dr. Brendan M. Walker. The primary goal of the symposium was to evaluate and disseminate contemporary findings regarding the emerging role of kappa-opioid receptors (KORs) and their endogenous ligands dynorphins (DYNs) in the regulation of escalated alcohol consumption, negative affect and cognitive dysfunction associated with alcohol dependence, as well as DYN/KOR mediation of the effects of chronic stress on alcohol reward and seeking behaviors. Dr. Glenn Valdez described a role for KORs in the anxiogenic effects of alcohol withdrawal. Dr. Jay McLaughlin focused on the role of KORs in repeated stress-induced potentiation of alcohol reward and increased alcohol consumption. Dr. Brendan Walker presented data characterizing the effects of KOR antagonism within the extended amygdala on withdrawal-induced escalation of alcohol self-administration in dependent animals. Dr. Georgy Bakalkin concluded with data indicative of altered DYNs and KORs in the prefrontal cortex of alcohol dependent humans that could underlie diminished cognitive performance. Collectively, the data presented within this symposium identified the multifaceted contribution of KORs to the characteristics of acute and chronic alcohol-induced behavioral dysregulation and provided a foundation for the development of pharmacotherapeutic strategies to treat certain aspects of alcohol use disorders.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3396024 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2011.10.006 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Anaphylaxis due to green beans (): a new phenotype?
Allergol Immunopathol (Madr)
January 2025
Department of Research and Development, Inmunotek SL, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
Background: Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction with increasing incidence in Europe. It is often caused by food, insect venom, and drugs. White, red, and green beans () are legumes of the family consumed worldwide.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenetic and environmental influences on alcohol consumption in middle to late life.
Psychol Addict Behav
January 2025
Department of Psychiatry, Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego.
Objective: Alcohol use is common in older adults and linked to poor health and aging outcomes. Studies have demonstrated genetic and environmental contributions to the quantity of alcohol consumption in mid-to-late life, but less is known about whether these influences are moderated by sociodemographic factors such as age, sex, and educational attainment. This study sought to better understand sociodemographic trends in alcohol consumption across the second half of the life course and their underlying genetic and environmental influences.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCommon and uncommon risky drinking patterns in young adulthood uncovered by person-specific computational modeling.
Psychol Addict Behav
January 2025
Department of Psychology, University of Michigan.
Objective: Alcohol use offers social benefits for young adults, but also carries risk of significant negative consequences. Better understanding of processes driving alcohol use for those who experience negative consequences can prevent these harms. These at-risk young adults likely have drinking patterns in common and patterns unique to each individual.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Young adults experiencing homelessness are at high risk for alcohol-related consequences, but protective behavioral strategies (PBS) have not been investigated as a harm reduction approach in this population. This study examines longitudinal associations between PBS and alcohol-related consequences following a group-based alcohol intervention.
Method: Data come from AWARE, a randomized controlled trial of a group-based motivational intervention to reduce substance use and risky sex compared to usual care.
Alcohol and emotion: Analyzing convergence between facially expressed and self-reported indices of emotion under alcohol intoxication.
Psychol Addict Behav
January 2025
Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Objective: Emotion measurement is central to capturing acute alcohol reinforcement and so to informing models of alcohol use disorder etiology. Yet our understanding of how alcohol impacts emotion as assessed across diverse response modalities remains incomplete. The present study leverages a social alcohol-administration paradigm to assess drinking-related emotions, aiming to elucidate impacts of intoxication on self-reported versus behaviorally expressed emotion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!