About this Special Issue
Alcoholism and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are major public health issues with a limited number of medications to manage these conditions. The endogenous opioid system, consisting of opioid peptides and receptors, has long been implicated in motivated behaviors, reward learning, and alcohol reward and self-administration in rodents and humans. Changes in the level of opioid peptides have been shown following acute and chronic alcohol administration. Naltrexone, a non-selective opioid receptor antagonist, is used to manage alcohol intake in alcoholics who have undergone abstinence. Kappa opioid receptors antagonists have been shown to manage negative affective signs of withdrawal. The delta opioid receptor antagonists have also shown some promise. These findings suggest that opioid peptides and receptors may be involved in the action of alcohol and may represent a potential target to alter the rewarding and reinforcing actions of alcohol. However, the role of each opioid peptide and receptor is not fully characterized in the action of alcohol.
This Special Issue aims to publish breakthrough findings encompassing the involvement of opioid peptides and receptors in the rewarding and reinforcing actions of alcohol. Given that craving and relapse represent a major hurdle in addiction treatment, novel findings in humans and animals showing the involvement of opioid peptides and opioid receptors in AUDs and displaying the effectiveness of opioid ligands in craving for and relapse would be highly desirable.
We welcome research papers and reviews addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
• To determine the role of the endogenous opioid system in and the effect of exogenous opioid agonists or antagonists in the regulatory actions of alcohol on the reward and anti-reward circuits.
• To characterize the role of the endogenous opioid system in the sedative, rewarding, and reinforcing actions of alcohol and in the development of tolerance to these actions of alcohol.
• To assess the role of the endogenous opioid system in alcohol overdose and the interaction between opioids and alcohol in this process.
• To examine changes in the level of opioid peptides and receptors in response to acute and chronic alcohol treatment and as a result of alcohol abstinence/withdrawal and overdose.
• To define the role of the endogenous opioid system and the effect of opioid ligands in alcohol craving and relapse.
• To examine the impact of alcohol use during pregnancy on behavioral, neurochemical, and molecular changes in the level of opioid peptides, opioid receptors, and their precursors or gens during adolescence and adulthood.
• To evaluate sex-related differences in any of the above themes, particularly concerning the role of the endogenous opioid system and the effect of opioid ligands on alcohol reward, self-administration, craving, and relapse.
For authors, please also review the journal's information regarding Author Guidelines and Article Processing Charges, or direct any questions to the Editorial Office: adar.office@frontierspartnerships.org.
Abstract Deadline: 11 August 2023
Manuscript Deadline: 2 October 2023
Keywords: Substance Abuse, Alcohol Use Disorder, Addiction, Neuropharmacology
