Thomas Hillemacher, Kai G Kahl, Annemarie Heberlein, Marc An Muschler, Christian Eberlein, Helge Frieling, Stefan Bleich
Recent studies have demonstrated a role for appetite- and volume-regulating neuropeptides in alcohol dependence, particularly in association with alcohol craving. The peptides leptin, ghrelin, adiponectin, vasopressin and the atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) have been of particular interest because of their central effects on various brain circuits, including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis. In addition, pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) plays an important role in linking appetite regulation with the HPA axis...
October 2010: Current Opinion in Investigational Drugs