HUMAN TRIALS SOON –
Feb. 10, 2024 – “Parts of the brain that drive eating behaviors overlap extensively with the drive to use alcohol or other substances,” explained Lorenzo Leggio, M.D., Ph.D., and Leandro Vendruscolo, Pharm.D., Ph.D., two of the senior authors of the study.
They added that there is also overlap between the brain mechanisms that regulate overeating and those that contribute to the development and maintenance of substance use disorders, including AUD. Dr. Leggio is Chief of the joint NIDA/NIAAA Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section. He also serves as the NIDA Clinical Director and Deputy Scientific Director. Dr. Vendruscolo is Chief of the Stress and Addiction Neuroscience Unit, a joint laboratory of NIDA and NIAAA.
Previous rodent studies demonstrated that GLP-1 receptor agonists suppressed the rewarding effects of alcohol and reduced alcohol consumption.
