Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access originally published online on November 1, 2004
Alcohol and Alcoholism 2005 40(1):76-79; doi:10.1093/alcalc/agh108
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alcohol & Alcoholism Vol. 40, No. 1 © Medical Council on Alcohol 2005; all rights reserved
INCREASED FASTING PLASMA GHRELIN LEVELS DURING ALCOHOL ABSTINENCE
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea, 1 Department of Psychiatry, KARF Hospital, South Korea, 2 Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, USA, 3 Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, USA, 4 Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea, 5 Department of Psychiatry, Korea University Ansan Hospital, South Korea and 6 Department of BioSystems, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed at: Tel: +82 32 340 2140; Fax: +82 32 340 2670; E-mail: kdj922{at}chollian.net Department of Psychiatry, KARF Hospital, 1241 Backseokdong, Ilsangu, Goyangsi, Gyeonggido, 411-816, South Korea
(Received 3 June 2004; first review notified 26 August 2004; in revised form 9 September 2004; accepted 11 October 2004)
Aims: Ghrelin is a peptide hormone that antagonizes the action of leptin and is thereby thought to regulate feeding behaviour. The actions of ghrelin and leptin appear to be mediated by the neuropeptide Y (NPY) and Agouti-related protein (AGRP) system. Recent studies have suggested that leptin and NPY play significant roles in the pathophysiology of alcoholism. The aim of this study was to determine whether ghrelin is associated with the state and duration of abstinence in individuals with alcohol dependence. Methods: Fasting plasma ghrelin levels were compared between 47 individuals with chronic alcoholism during a period of abstinence and 50 control subjects. Results: Fasting plasma ghrelin levels were higher in alcohol abstainers than those in controls. Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between ghrelin levels and the duration of abstinence. In addition, daily alcohol intake prior to abstinence was inversely related to ghrelin levels. Conclusions: These findings suggest that ghrelin plays a role in the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence, particularly during the abstinence period, in individuals with chronic alcoholism.
![]()
CiteULike
Connotea
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
E. Jerlhag, E. Egecioglu, S. Landgren, N. Salome, M. Heilig, D. Moechars, R. Datta, D. Perrissoud, S. L. Dickson, and J. A. Engel Requirement of central ghrelin signaling for alcohol reward PNAS, July 7, 2009; 106(27): 11318 - 11323. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
L. Leggio Understanding and Treating Alcohol Craving and Dependence: Recent Pharmacological and Neuroendocrinological Findings Alcohol Alcohol., July 1, 2009; 44(4): 341 - 352. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
T. Hillemacher and S. Bleich Neurobiology and Treatment in Alcoholism--Recent Findings Regarding Lesch's Typology of Alcohol Dependence Alcohol Alcohol., March 13, 2008; (2008) agn016v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
C. Langenberg, J. Bergstrom, G. A. Laughlin, and E. Barrett-Connor Ghrelin and the Metabolic Syndrome in Older Adults J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., December 1, 2005; 90(12): 6448 - 6453. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||


