Noradrenergic targets for the treatment of alcohol use disorder.

The role of norepinephrine (NE) in the development of alcohol use disorder (AUD) has been studied over the past several decades. However, the NE system has been largely ignored for many years as a potential target for medication development for AUD. More recently, preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated the potential value of targeting NE signaling for developing new pharmacological treatments for AUD. This review contributes to a special issue of Psychopharmacology focused on promising targets for alcohol addiction. Specifically, this review coalesces preclinical and clinical neuroscience that re-evaluate the noradrenergic system, and in particular the alpha-1 receptor, as a potential target for AUD.