Exploring the Interplay Between Stress, Neuropeptides, and Alcohol Use Disorder

Alcoholism and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are major public health and socioeconomic issues. However, a handful of pharmacotherapeutic agents are available to treat patients with AUD. Notably, these medications are not very effective in reducing alcohol intake and particularly craving and relapse. Preclinical and some clinical trials have shown that a series of neuropeptides, such as orphanin FQ/nociceptin (OFQ/N), pituitary adenylyl cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP), dynorphin, orexin, etc., and peptides released from the periphery and acting centrally, such as glucagon-like peptide, amylin, and ghrelin and small molecules acting on their receptors have shown promise to alter alcohol self-administration, signs of withdrawal and relapse. These peptides and small molecules acting on the receptors for these peptides also have shown to be effective against stress-mediated craving and relapse.

This Research Topic aims to provide a comprehensive examination of the role of neuropeptides in various facets of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). We welcome our scientific community to contribute their work in the form of original research articles or review papers encompassing one of the following themes:

• Preclinical or clinical studies showing alterations in alcohol self-administration and preference by these neuropeptides or receptor agonists or antagonists of these neuropeptides

• Studies determining the role of these neuropeptides in deprivation-induced increases in alcohol self-administration

• Research geared toward measuring changes in the level of neuropeptides or their receptors following alcohol self-administration or following alcohol withdrawal in different brain areas

• Work demonstrating modulation of negative affective states, such as anxiety, depression, anhedonia, etc., following alcohol withdrawal by the neuropeptides and their receptor agonists or antagonists

• Studies showing alterations in cue- or stress-mediated reinstatement in laboratory animals by the neuropeptides and their receptor agonists or antagonists

• Preclinical studies characterizing the role of novel neuropeptides in alcohol self-administration, preference, craving, reinstatement and signs of alcohol withdrawal

Keywords: Alcohol, Stress, Neuropeptides, Reward, Craving, Relapse

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.