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Stress, Motivation, and the Gut–Brain Axis: A Focus on the Ghrelin System and Alcohol Use Disorder
Author(s) -
Morris Laurel S.,
Voon Valerie,
Leggio Lorenzo
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/acer.13781
Subject(s) - ghrelin , ventral tegmental area , psychology , context (archaeology) , anxiogenic , alcohol use disorder , hormone , amygdala , reward system , neuroscience , dopaminergic , stressor , endocrinology , dopamine , medicine , alcohol , anxiety , biology , psychiatry , paleontology , anxiolytic , biochemistry
Since its discovery, the gut hormone, ghrelin, has been implicated in diverse functional roles in the central nervous system. Central and peripheral interactions between ghrelin and other hormones, including the stress‐response hormone cortisol, govern complex behavioral responses to external cues and internal states. By acting at ventral tegmental area dopaminergic projections and other areas involved in reward processing, ghrelin can induce both general and directed motivation for rewards, including craving for alcohol and other alcohol‐seeking behaviors. Stress‐induced increases in cortisol seem to increase ghrelin in the periphery, suggesting a pathway by which ghrelin influences how stressful life events trigger motivation for rewards. However, in some states, ghrelin may be protective against the anxiogenic effects of stressors. This critical review brings together a dynamic and growing literature, that is, at times inconsistent, on the relationships between ghrelin, central reward‐motivation pathways, and central and peripheral stress responses, with a special focus on its emerging role in the context of alcohol use disorder.