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Hindi Review Article
Galanin Receptors as Pharmacological Targets in the Treatment of Addiction,Drug Rehabilitation, Drug Addiction Treatment,Morphine Addiction, Drug Addiction Treatment, Cocaine-Related Disorders, Cocaine Addiction, Opioid-Related Disorders, Substance-Related Disorders
Belinda L. Ash and Elvan Djouma*School of Public Health and Human Biosciences, Department of Human Biosciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
- *Corresponding Author:
- Elvan Djouma
School of Public Health and Human Biosciences
Department of Human Biosciences
La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia
Tel: +61 3 9479 5005
Fax: +61 3 9479 5784
E-mail: e.djouma@latrobe.edu.au
Received November 14, 2011; Accepted December 16, 2011; Published December 20, 2011
Citation: Ash BL, Djouma E (2011) Galanin Receptors as Pharmacological Targets in the Treatment of Addiction. J Addict Res Ther S4:003. doi:10.4172/2155-6105.S4-003
Copyright: © 2011 Ash BL, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Drug and alcohol abuse present an ongoing problem from both a financial and psychosocial perspective. As the worldwide prevalence of drug-abuse grows, research into the use of novel pharmacotherapies continues. Recently, the neuropeptide galanin has been implicated in the rewarding effects of addictive substances and drug-seeking behaviour. Galanin acts by binding to three receptor subtypes, which are localised within many brain regions that play a primary role in addiction. Consequently, this paper sought to review the most recent literature with particular interest in the role of galanin and its receptors in alcoholism, drug-abuse and associated mood disorders. Further, we compile the experimental findings that suggest a potential role for galanin and its three receptor subtypes in the treatment of addiction and drug-seeking behaviour. Of particular focus in this review is the large amount of experimental evidence that supports an association between the galanin-3 receptor, alcoholism and mood disorders. Ultimately, further investigation of galanin receptors as potential drug targets may contribute to the creation of new pharmacotherapies for drug dependence.
