“Herein we investigated the effects of the GLP-1 receptor agonist, Exendin-4 (Ex4), on various measures of alcohol-induced reward as well as on alcohol intake and alcohol seeking behavior in rodents. Treatment with Ex4, at a dose with no effect per se, attenuated alcohol-induced locomotor stimulation and accumbal dopamine release in mice. Furthermore, conditioned place preference for alcohol was abolished by both acute and chronic treatment with Ex4 in mice. Finally we found that Ex4 treatment decreased alcohol intake, using the intermittent access 20% alcohol two-bottle-choice model, as well as alcohol seeking behavior, using the progressive ratio test in the operant self-administration model, in rats. These novel findings indicate that GLP-1 signaling attenuates the reinforcing properties of alcohol implying that the physiological role of GLP-1 extends beyond glucose homeostasis and food intake regulation. Collectively these findings implicate that the GLP-1 receptor may be a potential target for the development of novel treatment strategies for alcohol use disorders.”
The glucagon-like peptide 1 analogue Exendin-4 attenuates alcohol mediated behaviors in rodents
Psychoneuroendocrinology, August 2013
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453012003782
“GLP-1 receptors have an important role in reward regulation in general. Collectively these data support the hypothesize that common mechanisms, including gut-brain hormones, control food intake as well as the responses to drugs of abuse [48]. Indeed, the orexigenic peptide ghrelin increases the behavioral responses to addictive drugs [49,50] and antagonism of its receptor reduces drug reward [51,52]. Moreover, the anorectic peptides orexin and leptin blocks reward induced by psychostimulant drugs [53,54].
Our present findings show for the first time that Ex4, at a dose with no effect per se, attenuates the psychostimulant-induced reward as measured by locomotor stimulation, accumbal dopamine release and CPP. Given that GLP-1 analogues, such as exenatide and liraglutide, are clinically available for treatment of type II diabetes, we propose that these should be elucidated as treatment of drug dependence.”
The Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Analogue, Exendin-4, Attenuates the Rewarding Properties of Psychostimulant Drugs in Mice
PLoS One. July 2013
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3712951/
“The data presented here provide clear evidence for an impact of GLP-1R on the mesolimbic reward system, focusing especially on their role in food reward. However, the mesolimbic neurocircuitry also plays a crucial role in reward from alcohol or drugs of addiction. The reduction of food-reward behavior and the direct role of mesolimbic GLP-1Rs in this behavior, shown here, open up a field of future research exploring the potential role for GLP-1 or EX4 in alcohol and drug addiction.”
The Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 (GLP-1) Analogue, Exendin-4, Decreases the Rewarding Value of Food: A New Role for Mesolimbic GLP-1 Receptors
The Journal of Neuroscience 2012