Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 May 28;8(6):95.
doi: 10.3390/brainsci8060095.

Neuromodulatory Treatments for Alcohol Use Disorder: A Review

Anne-Mary N Salib  1 , Allen L Ho  2 , Eric S Sussman  3 , Arjun V Pendharkar  4 , Casey H Halpern  5
Affiliations
Review

Neuromodulatory Treatments for Alcohol Use Disorder: A Review

Anne-Mary N Salib et al. Brain Sci. .

Abstract

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a prevalent condition characterized by chronic alcohol-seeking behaviors and has become a significant economic burden with global ramifications on public health. While numerous treatment options are available for AUD, many are unable to sustain long-term sobriety. The nucleus accumbens (NAcc) upholds an integral role in mediating reward behavior and has been implicated as a potential target for deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the context of AUD. DBS is empirically thought to disrupt pathological neuronal synchrony, a hallmark of binge behavior. Pre-clinical animal models and pilot human clinical studies utilizing DBS for the treatment of AUD have shown promise for reducing alcohol-related cravings and prolonging abstinence. In this review, we outline the various interventions available for AUD, and the translational potential DBS has to modulate functionality of the NAcc as a treatment for AUD.

Keywords: alcoholism; binge drinking; deep brain stimulation; mouse models; neuromodulation; nucleus accumbens.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors of this manuscript have no financial interest in the subject under discussion.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Nucleus accumbens. A coronal human tissue section from the Schaltenbrand G, Warren W: Atlas for Stereotaxy of the Human Brain depicting the nucleus accumbens located in the ventral striatum just inferior to the caudate nucleus and inferolateral to the lateral ventricle. * Nucleus accumbens (Fu.st); # caudate nucleus (Cd); + putamen (Put). Adapted from [23], permission obtained.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mesocorticolimbic reward circuitry of the rat brain. (A) Ascending projections of dopamine (DA) neurons (localized in the VTA) innervating to limbic regions including the nucleus accumbens (NAS, the mesolimbic DA system) as well as cortical regions (the mesocortical DA system); (B) Major efferent projections of the NAS; (C) Afferent projections to the NAS; (D) Afferent projections to the VTA. Abbreviations—AMY, amygdala; BST, bed nucleus of stria terminalis; C, caudate–putamen; CC, corpus callosum; DA, dopamine; DB, diagonal band of Broca; DN, dentate nucleus; DR, dorsal raphe; ET, entopeduncular nucleus; FC, frontal cortex; HC, hippocampus; IC, inferior colliculus; LH, lateral hypothalamus; LPO, lateral preoptic area; MPR, mesopontine reticular nuclei; OB, olfactory bulb; PAG, periaqueductal gray; PFC, prefrontal cortex; PN, parabrachial nucleus; SC, superior colliculus; SI, substantia innominata; SN, substantia nigra; TH, thalamus; VP, ventral pallidum. Adapted from [27], permissions obtained.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mesocorticolimbic reward circuitry of the rat brain. (A) Ascending projections of dopamine (DA) neurons (localized in the VTA) innervating to limbic regions including the nucleus accumbens (NAS, the mesolimbic DA system) as well as cortical regions (the mesocortical DA system); (B) Major efferent projections of the NAS; (C) Afferent projections to the NAS; (D) Afferent projections to the VTA. Abbreviations—AMY, amygdala; BST, bed nucleus of stria terminalis; C, caudate–putamen; CC, corpus callosum; DA, dopamine; DB, diagonal band of Broca; DN, dentate nucleus; DR, dorsal raphe; ET, entopeduncular nucleus; FC, frontal cortex; HC, hippocampus; IC, inferior colliculus; LH, lateral hypothalamus; LPO, lateral preoptic area; MPR, mesopontine reticular nuclei; OB, olfactory bulb; PAG, periaqueductal gray; PFC, prefrontal cortex; PN, parabrachial nucleus; SC, superior colliculus; SI, substantia innominata; SN, substantia nigra; TH, thalamus; VP, ventral pallidum. Adapted from [27], permissions obtained.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Mokdad A.H., Marks J.S., Stroup D.F., Gerberding J.L. Actual causes of death in the United States, 2000. JAMA. 2004;291:1238–1245. doi: 10.1001/jama.291.10.1238. - DOI - PubMed
    1. SAMHSA C. Results from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables, 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. [(accessed on 20 October 2017)];2015 Available online: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-DetTabs-2015/NSDUH....
    1. World Health Organization . Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2014. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2014. [(accessed on 20 October 2017)]. pp. 1–392. Global Status Report on Alcohol. Available online: https://doi.org//entity/substance_abuse/publications/global_alcohol_repo....
    1. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA Council Approves Definition of Binge Drinking. [(accessed on 20 October 2017)];NIAAA Newsl. 2004 3:3. Available online: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/Newsletter/winter2004/Newsletter_....
    1. Boothby L.A., Doering P.L. Acamprosate for the treatment of alcohol dependence. Clin. Ther. 2005;27:695–714. doi: 10.1016/j.clinthera.2005.06.015. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources