TY - JOUR T1 - Identification of a Novel Molecular Target for Alcohol Dependence JF - eneuro JO - eNeuro DO - 10.1523/ENEURO.0255-18.2018 VL - 5 IS - 4 SP - ENEURO.0255-18.2018 AU - Rosalind S.E. Carney Y1 - 2018/07/01 UR - http://www.eneuro.org/content/5/4/ENEURO.0255-18.2018.abstract N2 - Highlighted Research Paper: Systemic and intra-habenular activation of the orphan G protein-coupled receptor GPR139 decreases compulsive-like alcohol drinking and hyperalgesia in alcohol-dependent rats, by, Jenni Kononoff, Marsida Kallupi, Adam Kimbrough, Dana Conlisk, Giordano de Guglielmo, and Olivier GeorgeTo treat the 15 million people in the US with alcohol use disorder (AUD), one may assume a good approach would be to identify the receptor associated with alcohol addiction and find a target compound that would block or activate the receptor. However, one needs to factor in the behavioral, emotional, and nociceptive changes associated with the rebound effects of alcohol withdrawal. People with AUD are aware that chronic, excessive alcohol intake has adverse consequences for their health, safety, and at times, the safety of others. But they can have a high compulsivity to drink alcohol, which can be overpowering, while suffering emotional dysregulation and a lowered pain threshold. Therefore, simultaneously mitigating several challenges associated with alcohol withdrawal could provide life-saving treatment for the ∼10% of people with AUD who seek treatment.G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) are common targets for medical intervention. Those for which ligands have yet not been identified are called orphan GPCRs. In their eNeuro publication, Kononoff et al. (2018) examined if an orphan … ER -