An endocannabinoid signal associated with desire for alcohol is suppressed in recently abstinent alcoholics.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND: Alcoholics report persistent alcohol craving that is heightened by cognitive cues, stressful situations, and abstinence. The role of endogenous cannabinoids in human alcohol craving--though long suspected--remains elusive. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We employed laboratory exposure to stress, alcohol cue, and neutral relaxed situations through guided imagery procedures to evoke alcohol desire and craving in healthy social drinkers (n = 11) and in treatment-engaged, recently abstinent alcoholic subjects (n = 12) and assessed alcohol craving, heart rate, and changes in circulating endocannabinoid levels. Subjective anxiety was also measured as a manipulation check for the procedures. RESULTS: In healthy social drinkers, alcohol cue imagery increased circulating levels of the endocannabinoid anandamide, whereas neutral and stress-related imagery had no such effect. Notably, baseline and response anandamide levels in these subjects were negatively and positively correlated with self-reported alcohol craving scores, respectively. Cue-induced increases in heart rate were also correlated with anandamide responses. By contrast, no imagery-induced anandamide mobilization was observed in alcoholics, whose baseline anandamide levels were markedly reduced compared to healthy drinkers and were uncorrelated to either alcohol craving or heart rate. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that plasma anandamide levels provide a marker of the desire for alcohol in social drinkers, which is suppressed in recently abstinent alcoholics.

Author information

Author/s: Mangieri, Regina A (RA); Hong, Kwang-Ik A (KI); Piomelli, Daniele (D); Sinha, Rajita (R);

Affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Irvine, 3101 Gillespie NRF, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.

Grants: DA-012413 (Agency:NIDA NIH HHS) ; DA-022702 (Agency:NIDA NIH HHS) ; K02-DA17232 (Agency:NIDA NIH HHS) ; PL1 DA024859-02 (Agency:NIDA NIH HHS) ; R01-AA113892 (Agency:NIAAA NIH HHS) ; UL1 RR024139 (Agency:NCRR NIH HHS) ; UL1-DE019586 (Agency:NIDCR NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Psychopharmacology (Psychopharmacology (Berl)), published in Germany. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Jul; vol 205 (issue 1) : pp 63-72

Dates: Created 2009/06/12; Completed 2009/09/02;

PMID: 19343330, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 9/4/2009, IMS Date: )

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