A recent discovery in Molecular Psychiatry revealed that the anxiety associated with withdrawal from excessive alcohol use that may contribute to relapse, may be driven in part by the release of an immune protein in the brain colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF1) which could be a potential target of future treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD)

The researchers discovered a group of neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of mice that are sensitive to corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) because they express a CRF receptor called CRF1, which is involved in mood and behaviour changes after alcohol exposure and withdrawal.

The preliminary findings suggest that knocking off these CRF-sensitive neurons makes mice less nervous, implying that the neurons are normally involved in anxiety-like behaviours. ′Subsequently, the researchers discovered that in alcohol-dependent mice experiencing alcohol withdrawal, these CRF-sensitive medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neurons become less excitable, or less likely to transmit messages to neighbouring neurons when stimulated. Nearby mPFC neurons without CRF receptors, on the other hand, become more excitable. Further investigations showed that increased CSF1 levels in the mPFC played key role in exhibiting alcohol withdrawal signs and symptoms.

As a result, scientists believe that targeting CSF1 would be a good strategy for AUD treatment, and tests on the preclinical models would be done for the same.

(Hindustan Times, Jun 09, 2022)