NPY signaling inhibits extended amygdala CRF neurons to suppress binge alcohol drinking.

ABSTRACT: Binge alcohol drinking is a tremendous public health problem because it leads to the development of numerous pathologies, including alcohol abuse and anxiety. It is thought to do so by hijacking brain systems that regulate stress and reward, including neuropeptide Y (NPY) and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). The central actions of NPY and CRF have opposing functions in the regulation of emotional and reward-seeking behaviors; thus, dysfunctional interactions between these peptidergic systems could be involved in the development of these pathologies. We used converging physiological, pharmacological and chemogenetic approaches to identify a precise neural mechanism in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a limbic brain region involved in pathological reward and anxiety behav

SUBMITTER: Pleil KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4376619 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature