title: Alcoholism and obesity: overlapping neuropeptide pathways?
abstract: Ethanol is a caloric compound, and ethanol drinking and food intake are both appetitive and consummatory behaviors. Furthermore, both ethanol and food have rewarding properties. It is therefore possible that overlapping central pathways are involved with uncontrolled eating and excessive ethanol consumption. A growing list of peptides has been shown to regulate food intake and/or energy homeostasis. Peptides such as the melanocortins, corticotropin releasing factor, and cholecystokinin promote reductions of food intake while others such as galanin and neuropeptide Y stimulate feeding. The present review highlights research aimed at determining if ingestive peptides also regulate voluntary ethanol intake, with an emphasis on the melanocortins and neuropeptide Y. It is suggested that research directed at ingestive peptides may expand our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms that drive ethanol self-administration, and may reveal new therapeutic candidates for treating alcohol abuse and alcoholism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Davie Hall, CB# 3270, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3270, USA. thiele@unc.edu
authors.forename: Todd E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Thiele
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.forename: Dennis R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Sparta
authors.forename: Jon R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Fee
authors.forename: Darin J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Knapp
authors.forename: Inmaculada
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cubero
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002766:Cholecystokinin / Q000378:metabolism; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D004435:Eating; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects; D019004:Galanin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009294:Narcotics / Q000378:metabolism; D009478:Neuropeptide Y / Q000378:metabolism*; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D044101:Receptors, Melanocortin / Q000378:metabolism; D000521:alpha-MSH / Q000378:metabolism; D019824:beta-MSH / Q000378:metabolism; D019825:gamma-MSH / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009294:Narcotics; D009478:Neuropeptide Y; D044101:Receptors, Melanocortin; D019824:beta-MSH; D019825:gamma-MSH; D000431:Ethanol; D000521:alpha-MSH; D019004:Galanin; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D002766:Cholecystokinin; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone