Scientists have identified a drug that may reduce cravings for alcohol by targeting the brain's immune system, which triggers the impulse to drink in the evening. Alcohol is the world's most commonly consumed drug, and there is a greater need than ever to understand the biological mechanisms that drive our need to drink alcohol, said lead author, a Ph.D. student at the University of Adelaide in Australia.
Researchers were able to switch off the impulse to drink alcohol by giving mice a drug that blocks a specific response from the immune system in the brain."Our body's circadian rhythms affect the 'reward' signals we receive in the brain from drug-related behavior, and the peak time for this reward typically occurs during the evening or dark phase. "We wanted to test what the role of the brain's immune system might have on that reward, and whether or not we could switch it off,"…
