An anti-seizure drug ezogabine was able to reduce alcohol consumption in an experimental model, researchers have found. The findings, reported in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, may lead to more effective treatments for alcoholism.
Excessive consumption of alcohol is one of the leading causes of illness and death in the U.S. and has significant negative economic impact by limiting the productivity of workers and necessitating huge health care expenditures.
Drug Detox
Drug detoxification (or drug detox) is a process that helps drug addicts to give up drugs with less or no withdrawal symptoms.
Advertisement
According to the researchers, this study provides the first evidence that alcoholism can be treated by this newly discovered mechanism that helps to regulate brain activity known as Kv7 channel modulation. "This finding is of importance because ezogabine acts by opening a particular type of potassium channel in the brain, called the Kv7 channel, which regulates activity in areas of the brain that are believed to regulate the rewarding effects of alcohol," explained lead author Clifford Knapp, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry at BUSM. "This research indicates that drugs that open Kv7 channels might be of value in the treatment of alcoholism," he added.
Previous studies conducted by this research group helped to establish the value of anti-seizure drugs as medications to treat alcoholism. However, further research needs to be conducted to establish that the effects of this drug result primarily from its actions on Kv7 channels. "Because of the close proximity of the doses at which ezogabine reduces drinking and those at which it is reported to produce motor impairment, it is still important to continue to investigate how selective the actions of ezogabine are on the neuronal mechanisms that control alcohol consumption," said Knapp.
The researchers believe these finding will encourage the search for other drugs that act on this system to discover more effective treatments for alcoholism.
Source: Eurekalert
The researchers believe these finding will encourage the search for other drugs that act on this system to discover more effective treatments for alcoholism.
Source: Eurekalert
Alcoholic Liver Disease
Encyclopedia section of medindia gives general information about Alcoholic Liver Disease.
Advertisement
 Bubbles and Brews - Alcohol FactsThere is more to alcohol than mere intoxication. Infamous because of its social abuse but indispensable because of its many industrial applications. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Reading
Latest Research News
How many people in the UK have misophonia? In a representative sample study, most people had at least some irritation upon hearing trigger sounds.
Routine eye-checkups and mass screenings enable early diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma. Late-stage glaucoma diagnosis leads to blindness.
Brain plasticity following blindness leads to superior ability in sensing signals from the heart, which has implications for bodily awareness and emotional processing.
A group of scientists were awarded £1.3 million to create a new “point of care testing” kit that detects Alzheimer's disease biomarkers.
Is there a connection between Osteoporosis and dementia? Yes, loss in bone density may be linked to an increased risk of dementia in older age.