title: Corticostriatal BDNF and alcohol addiction.
abstract: Growth factors, long studied for their involvement in neuronal development and plasticity, also regulate responses to drugs of abuse, including alcohol. This review details the intricate interaction between the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and alcohol, and provides evidence to suggest that corticostriatal BDNF signaling acts to keep alcohol drinking in moderation. Specifically, we describe studies in rodent models suggesting that moderate consumption of alcohol increases BDNF levels in the dorsal striatum, which in turn act to suppress alcohol intake by activating a Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK)-dependent genomic mechanism. We further provide data to suggest that alcohol intake levels escalate when the endogenous corticostriatal BDNF pathway becomes dysregulated. Finally, we summarize recent studies suggesting that specific microRNAs targeting BDNF mRNA in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) regulate the breakdown of the protective corticostriatal BDNF pathway.
authors: Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
authors: Marian L
authors: ML
authors: Logrip
authors: School of Psychological Sciences and the Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors: Segev
authors: S
authors: Barak
authors: Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors: Vincent
authors: V
authors: Warnault
authors: Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. Electronic address: dorit.ron@ucsf.edu.
authors: Dorit
authors: D
authors: Ron
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Alcohol; BDNF; Dorsal striatum; Prefrontal cortex