TY - JOUR
T1 - Insulin but not insulin growth factor-1 correlates with craving in currently drinking alcohol-dependent patients
AU - Leggio, Lorenzo
AU - Ferrulli, Anna
AU - Malandrino, Noemi
AU - Miceli, Antonio
AU - Capristo, Esmeralda
AU - Gasbarrini, Giovanni
AU - Addolorato, Giovanni
PY - 2008/3
Y1 - 2008/3
N2 - Background: Preclinical data suggest that brain insulin and insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) may contribute to the development of addiction. The aim of this clinical study was to evaluate the relationships between insulin and IGF-1 plasma concentrations and alcohol craving. Methods: The correlations between insulin and craving in actively drinking alcoholics were evaluated in the experiment 1 retrospectively and in the experiment 2 in a case-control study. Experiment 3 evaluated the correlations between insulin and craving in 12-weeks abstinent alcoholics in a longitudinal study. C-peptide and IGF-1 were also investigated in experiments 2-3. Alcohol craving was evaluated by the Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS). Results: Significant positive correlations between insulin concentrations and craving scores were found in actively drinkers (p <0.05). Specifically, in the first experiment insulin significantly correlated with the compulsive scores. In the second experiment and in an analysis of experiments 1-2 together, insulin plasma concentration correlated with total OCDS craving (p <0.05) and compulsive craving (p <0.05) and showed a trend of correlation with the obsessive craving. At 12 weeks no correlation was found between insulin and craving scores. In all the experiments the correlations between C-peptide and craving were close to the ones between insulin and craving while IGF-1 never correlated with craving. Conclusions: This study suggests that insulin could be involved in the neurobiology of alcohol craving and addiction. This characteristic seems specific of insulin since similar data were found on C-peptide but not on IGF-1. Future confirming studies on larger samples are needed, also to investigate possible therapeutic implications.
AB - Background: Preclinical data suggest that brain insulin and insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) may contribute to the development of addiction. The aim of this clinical study was to evaluate the relationships between insulin and IGF-1 plasma concentrations and alcohol craving. Methods: The correlations between insulin and craving in actively drinking alcoholics were evaluated in the experiment 1 retrospectively and in the experiment 2 in a case-control study. Experiment 3 evaluated the correlations between insulin and craving in 12-weeks abstinent alcoholics in a longitudinal study. C-peptide and IGF-1 were also investigated in experiments 2-3. Alcohol craving was evaluated by the Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS). Results: Significant positive correlations between insulin concentrations and craving scores were found in actively drinkers (p <0.05). Specifically, in the first experiment insulin significantly correlated with the compulsive scores. In the second experiment and in an analysis of experiments 1-2 together, insulin plasma concentration correlated with total OCDS craving (p <0.05) and compulsive craving (p <0.05) and showed a trend of correlation with the obsessive craving. At 12 weeks no correlation was found between insulin and craving scores. In all the experiments the correlations between C-peptide and craving were close to the ones between insulin and craving while IGF-1 never correlated with craving. Conclusions: This study suggests that insulin could be involved in the neurobiology of alcohol craving and addiction. This characteristic seems specific of insulin since similar data were found on C-peptide but not on IGF-1. Future confirming studies on larger samples are needed, also to investigate possible therapeutic implications.
KW - Alcohol Dependence
KW - C-Peptide
KW - Craving
KW - IGF-1
KW - Insulin
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U2 - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00589.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00589.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 18215216
AN - SCOPUS:39749095228
VL - 32
SP - 450
EP - 458
JO - Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research
JF - Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research
SN - 0145-6008
IS - 3
ER -