Pregnenolone effects on provoked alcohol craving, anxiety, HPA axis, and autonomic arousal in individuals with alcohol use disorder.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

Chronic alcohol intake down-regulates GABAergic transmission and reduces levels of neuroactive steroids. These changes are associated with greater stress dysregulation and high alcohol craving which in turn increases relapse risk.

Objectives

This study tested whether potentiation of the neurosteroid system with pregnenolone (PREG), a precursor to neuroactive steroids and known to increase GABAergic transmission, will normalize chronic alcohol-related stress adaptations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and autonomic responses and reduce alcohol craving to significantly impact relapse risk.

Methods

Forty-three treatment-seeking individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) were randomized to placebo (PBO) or supraphysiologic pregnenolone doses of

SUBMITTER: Milivojevic V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10630889 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature