The Scripps Research Institute Study Overturns Decade-Old Findings in Neurobiology: Research Suggests Potential Target for Drugs to Combat Alcohol Addiction

ScienceDaily (May 12, 2010) — In findings that should finally put to rest a decade of controversy in the field of neurobiology, a team at The Scripps Research Institute has found decisive evidence that a specific neurotransmitter system -- the endocannabinoid system -- is active in a brain region known to play a key role in the processing of memory, emotional reactions, and addiction formation. The new study also shows that this system can dampen the effects of alcohol, suggesting an avenue for the development of drugs to combat alcohol addiction.