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Serotonergic Systems in the Pathophysiology of Ethanol Dependence: Relevance to Clinical Alcoholism
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Serotonergic Systems in the Pathophysiology of Ethanol Dependence: Relevance to Clinical Alcoholism

Catherine A Marcinkiewcz
ACS chemical neuroscience, Vol.6(7), pp.1026-1039
07/15/2015
DOI: 10.1021/cn5003573
PMID: 25654315
url
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10265695/pdf/nihms700647.pdfView
Open Access

Abstract

Alcoholism is a progressive brain disorder that is marked by increased sensitivity to the positive and negative reinforcing properties of ethanol, compulsive and habitual use despite negative consequences, and chronic relapse to alcohol drinking despite repeated attempts to reduce intake or abstain from alcohol. Emerging evidence from preclinical and clinical studies implicates serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) systems in the pathophysiology of alcohol dependence, suggesting that drugs targeting 5-HT systems may have utility in the treatment of alcohol use disorders. In this Review, we discuss the role of 5-HT systems in alcohol dependence with a focus on 5-HT interactions with neural circuits that govern all three stages of the addiction cycle. We attempt to clarify how 5-HT influences circuit function at these different stages with the goal of identifying neural targets for pharmacological treatment of this debilitating disorder.
Brain - drug effects Animals Craving - drug effects Brain - physiopathology Humans Serotonin - metabolism Reinforcement (Psychology) Alcohol-Related Disorders - physiopathology Craving - physiology Receptors, Serotonin - metabolism

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