The interaction of alcohol with brain reward circuitry (II)

The slide shows how alcohol may interact with the neurotransmitter systems of the brain’s reward pathway, by inhibiting GABA signalling in the ventral tegmental area which in turn disinhibits dopaminergic projections to the nucleus accumbens.^[2] There are also other pathways with which alcohol is thought to interact, including other endogenous opioid pathways and potentially the endogenous cannabinoid system.^[2]

Reference:
[1] Stahl SM. Stahl’s Essential Psychopharmacology. Neuroscientific Basis and Practical Applications. 4th edition. © Cambridge University Press, 2013.

[2] Gilpin NW, Koob GF. Neurobiology of alcohol dependence: focus on motivational mechanisms. Alcohol Res Health 2008; 31 (3): 185–195.

[3] Davies M. The role of GABAA receptors in mediating the effects of alcohol in the central nervous system. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2003; 28 (4): 263–274.