Gene transcription alterations associated with decrease of ethanol intake induced by naltrexone in the brain of Wistar rats.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the role of the serotonergic system in mediating alcohol reward, preference, dependence, and craving, and assess the serotonin system as a target for pharmacotherapy, with an emphasis on current and potential treatments.

TL;DR: The results suggest that deletion of the CB2r gene increased preference for and vulnerability to ethanol consumption, at least in part, by increased ethanol‐induced sensitivity of the TH and μ‐opioid receptor gene expressions in mesolimbic neurons.

TL;DR: A comprehensive overview of preclinical evidence from studies involving rodents that when viewed together, suggest a promising role for CRFR antagonists in the treatment of alcohol abuse disorders are provided.

TL;DR: Research in Bart Hoebel's laboratory in conjunction with the own has shown that consumption of ethanol, a drug of abuse that also contains calories, is similarly driven by these neurochemical systems involved in fat intake, consistent with evidence closely relating fat and ethanol consumption.

TL;DR: Naltrexone may be a safe and effective adjunct to treatment in alcohol-dependent subjects, particularly in preventing alcohol relapse, and was seen in patients who drank any alcohol while attending outpatient treatment.

TL;DR: The analysis of the behavioural and neural mechanisms of reinforcement and motivation has benefited from the recent application of learning theory and better anatomical knowledge of the connectivity of certain key neural structures, such as the nucleus accumbens.

TL;DR: Evidence suggests that dopaminergic-neuron activation aids the organism in learning to recognize stimuli associated with internal rewarding or aversive events and long-lasting neuroadaptive changes in mesolimbic dopamine-mediated transmission that develop during chronic drug use might contribute to compulsive drug-seeking behavior and relapse.

TL;DR: In situ hybridization histochemistry with synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotide probes identified cells that synthesize mRNAs encoding tyrosine hydroxylase in the mesencephalon and substance P, enkephalin, and dynorphin in the rat forebrain.