title: Neuroimmune mechanisms of alcohol and drug addiction.
abstract: Alcohol and other drugs of abuse have significant impacts on the neuroimmune system. Studies have demonstrated that drugs of abuse interact with the neuroimmune system and alter neuroimmune gene expression and signaling, which in turn contribute to various aspects of addiction. As the key component of the CNS immune system, neuroimmune factors mediate neuroinflammation and modulate a wide range of brain function including neuronal activity, endocrine function, and CNS development. These neuromodulatory properties of immune factors, together with their essential role in neuroinflammation, provide a new framework to understand neuroimmune mechanisms mediating brain functional and behavioral changes contributing to addiction. This chapter highlights recent advances in understanding neuroimmune changes associated with exposure to alcohol and other drugs of abuse, including opiates, marijuana, methamphetamine, and cocaine. It provides a brief overview on what we know about neuroimmune signaling and its role in drug action and addiction.
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. Electronic address: changhai.cui@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Changhai
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shurtleff
authors.affiliation: Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: R Adron
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D000438:Alcohols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015213:Neuroimmunomodulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols; D013287:Illicit Drugs
keywords: Addiction; Alcohol; Chemokine; Cytokine; Drugs of abuse; Microglia; Neuroimmune; Neuroinflammation