scholarly journals Therapeutic Prospects of Cannabidiol for Alcohol Use Disorder and Alcohol-Related Damages on the Liver and the Brain

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia De Ternay ◽  
Mickaël Naassila ◽  
Mikail Nourredine ◽  
Alexandre Louvet ◽  
François Bailly ◽  
...  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 222-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole A. Crowley ◽  
Nigel C. Dao ◽  
Sarah N. Magee ◽  
Alexandre J. Bourcier ◽  
Emily G. Lowery-Gionta

Author(s):  
Igor Ponomarev

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is characterized by clinically significant impairments in health and social function. Epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation may provide an attractive explanation for how early life exposures to alcohol contribute to the development of AUD and exert lifelong effects on the brain. This chapter provides a critical discussion of the role of epigenetic mechanisms in AUD etiology and the potential of epigenetic research to improve diagnosis, evaluate risks for alcohol-induced pathologies, and promote development of novel therapies for the prevention and treatment of AUD. Challenges of the current epigenetic approaches and future directions are also discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignatius Alvarez Cooper ◽  
Kate Beecher ◽  
Fatemeh Chehrehasa ◽  
Arnauld Belmer ◽  
Selena E. Bartlett

Alcohol use disorder is a pervasive and detrimental condition that involves changes in neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. Alcohol activates the neuroimmune system and alters the inflammatory status of the brain. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) is a well characterised neuroimmune signal but its involvement in alcohol use disorder is unknown. In this review, we discuss the variable findings of TNF’s effect on neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. Acute ethanol exposure reduces TNF release while chronic alcohol intake generally increases TNF levels. Evidence suggests TNF potentiates excitatory transmission, promotes anxiety during alcohol withdrawal and is involved in drug use in rodents. An association between craving for alcohol and TNF is apparent during withdrawal in humans. While anti-inflammatory therapies show efficacy in reversing neurogenic deficit after alcohol exposure, there is no evidence for TNF’s essential involvement in alcohol’s effect on neurogenesis. Overall, defining TNF’s role in alcohol use disorder is complicated by poor understanding of its variable effects on synaptic transmission and neurogenesis. While TNF may be of relevance during withdrawal, the neuroimmune system likely acts through a larger group of inflammatory cytokines to alter neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. Understanding the individual relevance of TNF in alcohol use disorder awaits a more comprehensive understanding of TNF’s effects within the brain.


Author(s):  
Jeff Wilkens ◽  
Shahla J. Modir

Integrative medicine has the potential to augment traditional medical treatment of alcohol use disorders (as defined by the DSM-5), while also providing a basis for primary and secondary prevention of alcohol-use disorders (AUD). The chapter provides the reader with a review of the effects of alcohol on the human brain and body—including how chronic heavy alcohol use produces disproportionate changes throughout the brain that may result in the development of AUD, the influence of genetics on an individual’s sensitivity or insensitivity to alcohol, how traditional medicine balances medications that reduce craving for alcohol with psychosocial therapies, and how exercise, healthy diet, meditation, yoga, mindfulness, acupuncture, and neurofeedback may augment traditional medical treatment and contribute to primary and secondary prevention of AUD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 263310552110074
Author(s):  
Kristin M Scaplen ◽  
Emily Petruccelli

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a debilitating disorder that manifests as problematic patterns of alcohol use. At the core of AUD’s behavioral manifestations are the profound structural, physiological, cellular, and molecular effects of alcohol on the brain. While the field has made considerable progress in understanding the neuromolecular targets of alcohol we still lack a comprehensive understanding of alcohol’s actions and effective treatment strategies. Drosophila melanogaster is a powerful model for investigating the neuromolecular targets of alcohol because flies model many of the core behavioral elements of AUD and offer a rich genetic toolkit to precisely reveal the in vivo molecular actions of alcohol. In this review, we focus on receptors and channels that are often targeted by alcohol within the brain. We discuss the general roles of these proteins, their role in alcohol-associated behaviors across species, and propose ways in which Drosophila models can help advance the field.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charmaine Enculescu ◽  
Edward D. Kerr ◽  
K. Y. Benjamin Yeo ◽  
Peter R. Dodd ◽  
Gerhard Schenk ◽  
...  

AbstractChanges in brain metabolism are a hallmark of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Determining how AUD changes the brain proteome is critical for understanding the effects of alcohol consumption on biochemical processes in the brain. We used data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry proteomics to study differences in the abundance of proteins associated with AUD in pre-frontal lobe and motor cortex from autopsy brain. AUD had a substantial effect on the overall brain proteome exceeding the inherent differences between brain regions. Proteins associated with glycolysis, trafficking, the cytoskeleton, and excitotoxicity were altered in abundance in AUD. We observed extensive changes in the abundance of key metabolic enzymes, consistent with a switch from glucose to acetate utilization in the AUD brain. We propose that metabolic adaptations allowing efficient acetate utilization contribute to ethanol dependence in AUD.


Author(s):  
Robert Hitzemann ◽  
Susan E. Bergeson ◽  
Ari E. Berman ◽  
Jason A. Bubier ◽  
Elissa J. Chesler ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Silke Behrendt ◽  
Barbara Braun ◽  
Randi Bilberg ◽  
Gerhard Bühringer ◽  
Michael Bogenschutz ◽  
...  

Abstract. Background: The number of older adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD) is expected to rise. Adapted treatments for this group are lacking and information on AUD features in treatment seeking older adults is scarce. The international multicenter randomized-controlled clinical trial “ELDERLY-Study” with few exclusion criteria was conducted to investigate two outpatient AUD-treatments for adults aged 60+ with DSM-5 AUD. Aims: To add to 1) basic methodological information on the ELDERLY-Study by providing information on AUD features in ELDERLY-participants taking into account country and gender, and 2) knowledge on AUD features in older adults seeking outpatient treatment. Methods: baseline data from the German and Danish ELDERLY-sites (n=544) were used. AUD diagnoses were obtained with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, alcohol use information with Form 90. Results: Lost control, desired control, mental/physical problem, and craving were the most prevalent (> 70 %) AUD-symptoms. 54.9 % reported severe DSM-5 AUD (moderate: 28.2 %, mild: 16.9 %). Mean daily alcohol use was 6.3 drinks at 12 grams ethanol each. 93.9 % reported binging. More intense alcohol use was associated with greater AUD-severity and male gender. Country effects showed for alcohol use and AUD-severity. Conclusion: European ELDERLY-participants presented typical dependence symptoms, a wide range of severity, and intense alcohol use. This may underline the clinical significance of AUD in treatment-seeking seniors.


Author(s):  
Jennis Freyer-Adam ◽  
Sophie Baumann ◽  
Inga Schnuerer ◽  
Katja Haberecht ◽  
Ulrich John ◽  
...  

Zusammenfassung. Ziel: Persönliche Beratungen können bei stationären Krankenhauspatienten Alkoholkonsum und Mortalität reduzieren. Sie sind jedoch mit hohen Kosten verbunden, wenn aus Public-Health-Erfordernis viele Menschen einer Bevölkerung erreicht werden müssen. Computerbasierte Interventionen stellen eine Alternative dar. Jedoch ist ihre Wirksamkeit im Vergleich zu persönlichen Beratungen und im Allgemeinkrankenhaus noch unklar. Eine quasi-randomisierte Kontrollgruppenstudie „Die Bedeutung der Vermittlungsform für Alkoholinterventionen bei Allgemeinkrankenhauspatienten: Persönlich vs. Computerisiert“ soll dies untersuchen. Design und Methoden werden beschrieben. Methode: Über 18 Monate sind alle 18- bis 64-jährigen Patienten auf Stationen der Universitätsmedizin Greifswald mittels Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) zu screenen. Frauen/Männer mit AUDIT-Consumption ≥ 4/5 und AUDIT < 20 werden einer von drei Gruppen zugeordnet: persönliche Intervention (Beratungen zur Konsumreduktion), computerbasierte Intervention (individualisierte Rückmeldebriefe und Broschüren) und Kontrollgruppe. Beide Interventionen erfolgen im Krankenhaus sowie telefonisch bzw. postalisch nach 1 und 3 Monaten. In computergestützten Telefoninterviews nach 6, 12, 18 und 24 Monaten wird Alkoholkonsum erfragt. Schlussfolgerung: Das Studienvorhaben, sofern erfolgreich umgesetzt, ist geeignet die längerfristige Wirksamkeit einer persönlichen und computerbasierten Intervention im Vergleich zu untersuchen.


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