Currently available therapeutic strategies for alcohol use disorder (AUD) have limited efficacy, with many patients not responding to treatment. The dopaminergic system, involved in motivation and the reinforcing effects of drugs, has been proposed as an interesting target in AUD.
Indivior plc has successfully advanced its GABA-B positive allosteric modulator (PAM) program for substance use disorders through IND-enabling studies with the completion of the last preclinical safety and toxicity studies.
Research of the neuroimmune mechanisms involved in stress-related fear revealed how astrocytes interact with neurons in the amygdala. The study, led by Harvard scientists, also unveiled that this interaction recruited monocytes to the meninges during chronic stress and showed how psychedelic compounds reversed monocyte accumulation in the meninges and reduced fear behavior.