The relationship of appetitive, reproductive and posterior pituitary hormones to alcoholism and craving in humans - PubMed (original) (raw)

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The relationship of appetitive, reproductive and posterior pituitary hormones to alcoholism and craving in humans

George A Kenna et al. Neuropsychol Rev. 2012 Sep.

Abstract

A significant challenge for understanding alcoholism lies in discovering why some, but not other individuals, become dependent on alcohol. Genetic, environmental, cultural, developmental, and neurobiological influences are recognized as essential factors underlying a person's risk for becoming alcohol dependent (AD); however, the neurobiological processes that trigger this vulnerability are still poorly understood. Hormones are important in the regulation of many functions and several hormones are strongly associated with alcohol use. While medical consequences are important, the primary focus of this review is on the underlying confluence of appetitive/feeding, reproductive and posterior pituitary hormones associated with distinct phases of alcoholism or assessed by alcohol craving in humans. While these hormones are of diverse origin, the involvement with alcoholism by these hormone systems is unmistakable, and demonstrates the complexity of interactions with alcohol and the difficulty of successfully pursuing effective treatments. Whether alcohol associated changes in the activity of certain hormones are the result of alcohol use or are the result of an underlying predisposition for alcoholism, or a combination of both, is currently of great scientific interest. The evidence we present in this review suggests that appetitive hormones may be markers as they appear involved in alcohol dependence and craving, that reproductive hormones provide an example of the consequences of drinking and are affected by alcohol, and that posterior pituitary hormones have potential for being targets for treatment. A better understanding of the nature of these associations may contribute to diagnosing and more comprehensively treating alcoholism. Pharmacotherapies that take advantage of our new understanding of hormones, their receptors, or their potential relationship to craving may shed light on the treatment of this disorder.

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Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

Main Positive and Negative hormonal feed-backs involved in the control of Growth Hormone (GH) release Footnotes: +: releasing action; −: inhibiting action GHIH: GH-inhibiting hormone (a.k.a. somatostatin) GHRH: GH-releasing hormone IGF-1: Insulin Growth Factor-1

Figure 2

Figure 2

Reproductive Function in Men and Women To the left, negative feedback of testicular function; (+) stimulation and (−) inhibition. To the right ovarian pituitary interactions during the 3 phases of the menstrual cycle. Solid arrows indicate stimulation while dashes indicate inhibition. [permission to reprint granted by Elsevier, Basic Medical Endocrinology, 2nd Edition H. Maurice Goodman, 2003].

Figure 3

Figure 3

Regulation of Posterior Pituitary Function To the left, regulation of oxytocin with positive feedback. Oxytocin stimulates the uterus to contract and causes the cervix to stretch. Oxytocin secreted in response to suckling forms and open-loop feedback system in which positive input is interrupted when the infant is satisfied and stops suckling. To the right argentine vasopressin (AVP) negative feedback loops. Increasing blood osmolality or decreased blood volume in the brain or thorax, respectively, increasing vasopressin secretion. Vasopressin acting primarily on the kidney produces changes that restore osmolality and volume thereby attenuating further secretion in a negative feedback loop. [permission to reprint granted by Elsevier, Basic Medical Endocrinology, 2nd Edition H. Maurice Goodman, 2003].

Figure 3

Figure 3

Regulation of Posterior Pituitary Function To the left, regulation of oxytocin with positive feedback. Oxytocin stimulates the uterus to contract and causes the cervix to stretch. Oxytocin secreted in response to suckling forms and open-loop feedback system in which positive input is interrupted when the infant is satisfied and stops suckling. To the right argentine vasopressin (AVP) negative feedback loops. Increasing blood osmolality or decreased blood volume in the brain or thorax, respectively, increasing vasopressin secretion. Vasopressin acting primarily on the kidney produces changes that restore osmolality and volume thereby attenuating further secretion in a negative feedback loop. [permission to reprint granted by Elsevier, Basic Medical Endocrinology, 2nd Edition H. Maurice Goodman, 2003].

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