Budygin E A, Weiner J L
Wake Forest School of Medicine, USA; Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia.
Wake Forest School of Medicine, USA.
Transl Biomed. 2015;6(Suppl Spec).
This Editorial presents the position that translational research continues to play a vital role in the field of alcohol addiction research. Using diverse animal models that mimic fundamental features of the disease, tremendous progress has been made in our understanding of alcohol actions in the brain and in identifying key neurobiological adaptations that may contribute to the pathophysiology of alcohol addiction. Current translational research in this field is now focusing on identifying the causal mechanisms that drive the shift from recreational to abusive ethanol drinking behaviors. The relatively recent development and application of optogenetic and chemogenetic techniques is beginning to afford alcohol researchers with the opportunity to identify specific neuronal circuits that govern key elements of the addiction process. These advances are rapidly pointing the way toward novel neural targets for the development of more effective treatments for addictive disorders.
本社论提出的观点是，转化研究在酒精成瘾研究领域继续发挥着至关重要的作用。通过使用模拟该疾病基本特征的多种动物模型，我们在理解酒精在大脑中的作用以及确定可能导致酒精成瘾病理生理学的关键神经生物学适应性方面取得了巨大进展。该领域当前的转化研究现在聚焦于确定促使从娱乐性饮酒转变为滥用乙醇饮酒行为的因果机制。光遗传学和化学遗传学技术相对较新的发展与应用，正开始为酒精研究人员提供机会，以识别控制成瘾过程关键要素的特定神经回路。这些进展正迅速为开发更有效的成瘾性疾病治疗方法指明通往新神经靶点的道路。
