Recent results on ghrelin in alcohol use disorders

Recent preclinical and clinical studies suggested ghrelin to have an orexigenic role in the regulation of appetite and energy balance. Thereby, food consumption in humans is not only a response to an intrinsic sensation of hunger which ensures energy homeostasis but also a result of neuronal processes influenced by the rewarding and positively reinforcing features of food. Preclinical studies also provided support for an important role of ghrelin in the neurobiology of addiction-related reward pathways, affecting the self-administration of alcohol and drugs as well as conditioned place preference.
Source: Alcohol - Category: Addiction Authors: Source Type: research