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An opponent process for alcohol addiction based on changes in endocrine gland mass.

ABSTRACT: Consuming addictive drugs is often initially pleasurable, but escalating drug intake eventually recruits physiological anti-reward systems called opponent processes that cause tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. Opponent processes are fundamental for the addiction process, but their physiological basis is not fully characterized. Here, we propose an opponent processes mechanism centered on the endocrine stress response, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. We focus on alcohol addiction, where the HPA axis is activated and secretes ?-endorphin, causing euphoria and analgesia. Using a mathematical model, we show that slow changes in the functional mass of HPA glands act as an opponent process for ?-endorphin secretion. The model explains hormone dynamics in alcohol addiction and experiments on alcohol preference in rodents. The opponent process is based on fold-change detection (FCD) where ?-endorphin responses are relative rather than absolute; FCD confers vulnerability to addiction but has adaptive roles for learning. Our model suggests gland mass changes as potential targets for intervention in addiction.

SUBMITTER: Karin O

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7903339 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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An opponent process for alcohol addiction based on changes in endocrine gland mass.

Karin Omer O Raz Moriya M Alon Uri U

iScience 20210203 3

Consuming addictive drugs is often initially pleasurable, but escalating drug intake eventually recruits physiological anti-reward systems called opponent processes that cause tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. Opponent processes are fundamental for the addiction process, but their physiological basis is not fully characterized. Here, we propose an opponent processes mechanism centered on the endocrine stress response, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. We focus on alcohol addiction, ...[more]

PMID: 33665551

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Considerable interest has been gathered on the relevant impact of preventable factors, including incorrect lifestyle and unhealthy habits, on female fertility. Smoking, alcohol and addictive drugs consumption represent a major concern, given the broad range of diseases which might be favored or exacerbated by these dependable attitudes. Despite the well-characterized effects of prenatal exposure on pregnancy outcomes and fetus health, a substantial proportion of women of reproductive age is still concerned with these habits. At present, the impact of smoke, alcohol and addictive drugs on women fertility, and, particularly, the specific targets and underlying mechanisms, are still poorly understood or debated, mainly due to the scarcity of well-designed studies, and to numerous biases. OBJECTIVE:The current review will provide a comprehensive overview of clinical and experimental studies in humans and animals addressing the impact of smoke, alcohol and addictive drugs on female fertility, by also embracing effects on ovary, oviduct, and uterus, with particular reference to primary endpoints such as ovarian reserve, steroidogenesis, ovulation and menstrual cycle, oviduct function and uterus receptivity and implantation. A brief focus on polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis will be also included. METHODS:A Pubmed literature search was performed with selected keywords; articles were individually retrieved by each author. No limitation was set for publication date. Articles in languages other than English were excluded. Additional articles were retrieved from references list of selected manuscripts. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:Currently, the most consistent evidences of a detrimental effect of smoke, alcohol and addictive drugs on specific domains of the female reproductive function are provided by experimental studies in animals. Overall, clinical studies suggest that smoking is associated to decreased fertility, although causal inference should be further demonstrated. Studies addressing the effect of alcohol consumption on female fertility provide conflicting results, although the majority reported lack of a correlation. Extremely scarce studies investigated the effects of addictive drugs on female fertility, and the specific actions of selected drugs have been difficult to address, due to multidrug consumption.

Dataset Information

An opponent process for alcohol addiction based on changes in endocrine gland mass.

Publications

An opponent process for alcohol addiction based on changes in endocrine gland mass.

Similar Datasets

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