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   Ghrelin stimulates an appetite for drinking alcohol   
      
   Psychology & Psychiatry   
   October 29, 2014   
      
      
   Ghrelin is a hormone released by the stomach and it stimulates appetite and   
   food intake. Alcohol is commonly viewed as a psychoactive substance that   
   primarily affects brain function, but it is also a highly caloric food.   
      
   This knowledge, combined with findings from animal studies, led researchers to   
   the hypothesis that ghrelin has the potential to stimulate alcohol craving.   
   Dr. Lorenzo Leggio and his colleagues tested this in humans and found that, as   
   they had anticipated, alcohol craving was increased in heavy drinkers   
   following administration of ghrelin. Their work is published in the current   
   issue of Biological    
   Psychiatry.   
      
   "This study provides a direct translation on the role of ghrelin in   
   alcohol-seeking behaviors in humans from previous research conducted in   
   rodents," said Dr. Leggio, Clinical Investigator in the National Institute on   
   Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)    
   and the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health.   
   Dr. Leggio is also Chief of the Section on Clinical Psychoneuroendo-crinology   
   and Neuropsychopharmacology, in NIAAA's Laboratory of Clinical and   
   Translational Studies.   
      
   The study was conducted in the laboratory, where 45 men and women, all of whom   
   were alcohol-dependent, heavy-drinking individuals not seeking treatment, were   
   randomized to receive one of three different doses of ghrelin. One of those   
   doses, at 0 mcg/kg,    
   served as a placebo.   
      
   Following intravenous administration of the drug, the volunteers then   
   completed a cue-reactivity task, during which they were exposed to both   
   neutral and alcohol cues. Throughout the laboratory session, their craving   
   (e.g., urge to drink) for alcohol or    
   juice was repeatedly assessed.   
      
   Compared to placebo, ghrelin significantly increased alcohol craving, but had   
   no effect on urge to drink juice. There were no differences in reported side   
   effects between those who received placebo versus those who received ghrelin.   
   Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry, commented, "This study   
   sheds new light on a role for ghrelin in alcohol craving, raising the   
   possibility that ghrelin signaling might be targeted by future treatments for   
   alcohol use disorders."   
      
   Leggio added, "There is a crucial need to identify neurobiological pathways   
   linked to alcohol craving that may help in the development of novel effective   
   medications aimed to reduce excessive alcohol use. In this context, future   
   studies may explore the    
   potential of blocking ghrelin signaling as a new promising treatment for   
   alcoholism."   
      
       
   Explore further: Mutation stops worms from getting drunk   
   More information: "Intravenous Ghrelin Administration Increases Alcohol   
   Craving in Alcohol-Dependent Heavy Drinkers: A Preliminary Investigation" by   
   Lorenzo Leggio, William H. Zywiak, Samuel R. Fricchione, Steven M. Edwards,   
   Suzanne M. de la Monte,    
   Robert M. Swift, and George A. Kenna (DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.03.019).   
   The article appears in Biological Psychiatry, Volume 76, Issue 9 (November 1,   
   2014)   
   Journal reference: Biological Psychiatry     
   Provided by Elsevier     
      
      
   http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-10-ghrelin-appetite-alcohol.html#inlRlv   
      
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