The role of the amygdala in social behavior and alcoholism
Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Alcoholism is a major health risk, since 4% of all deaths worldwide are attributed to alcohol. The\ndevelopment of alcoholism is influenced by genetic, psychosocial and environmental factors. The\nreward feeling, derived of alcohol consumption, can also stimulate the development of an alcohol\nproblem. This reward is mediated by the mesolimbic reward pathway in the brain. Social behavior,\nespecially social play, can also result in a reward feeling and there is a relation between social\nbehavior and alcohol. This relation is most clearly seen in adolescents, where alcohol facilitates social\nbehavior and where a social environment can support alcohol use, presumably by emphasizing the\npositive effects of alcohol. Much research is done towards the underlying mechanisms of alcohol use,\nsocial behavior and the relation between the two. Of particular interest in this respect is the research\non prairie voles that display strong social bonds and have a high preference for alcohol that is related\nto social behavior. Based on different studies it turned out that low doses of alcohol can support play\nbehavior, presumably by the release of opioids. One of the brain structures involved in social play\nand alcohol is the amygdala, which contributes to the rewarding effects of both. The amygdala is also\ninvolved in the sex differences of social play, and with respect to alcohol it might also play a role in\nthe positive and negative reinforcing effects of alcohol, which suggest a regulating function of the\namygdala. Furthermore, there was an increased expression of the adapter protein 14-3-3ζ found in\nthe amygdala during escalated alcohol intake, which might confirm the regulating role of the\namygdala on alcohol intake. However, there is more research needed towards this effect and if the\namygdala has indeed a regulating role, it might be a potential target for a treatment of alcoholism,\nperhaps via the stimulating effects of social play on the amygdala.
Author: R.C. Kosse
Institution: Utrecht University
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W168279513