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Alcohol Use Disorder Essay

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Alcohol use disorder (AUD) has a major national health impact in the United States, affecting over 17 million people, causing more than 100,000 deaths and costing over $200 billion annually (Bouchery et al., 2011; Grant et al., 2004; Hardwood, 2000). Alcohol use and abuse is currently the third leading risk factor for premature death and composed of nearly 4% of all deaths worldwide (World Health Organizations). Despite a large amount of effort focusing on the development of new medications for AUD, currently there are only 3-FDA approved treatments on the market, all of which have only yielded limited success even when combined with psychosocial support (Harris et al., 2010; Litten e al., 2012). This is evident by the high rates of uncontrolled heavy drinking that continue to persist and the high relapse rate in patients even after long-term inpatient treatment and support (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). As such, novel approaches that allow for rapid development of new and effective medication to treat and/or prevent AUD is an important public health goal (Bouchery et al., 2011; Heilig and Egli, 2006; Johnson, 2010; Johnson et al., 2007; Steensland et al., 2007). Using a translational approach to address this issue, our …show more content…

In several animal and in-vitro models, MOX has been shown to have superior BBB penetration while having a superior margin of safety when compared to IVM (Prichard et al., 2012; Janko et al., 2012; Menez et al. 2012, Kiki-Mvouaka S et al., 2010). Despite reaching higher levels in the brain compared to IVM, the potential greater margin of safety for MOX is thought to be linked to its lower intrinsic activity at certain relevant receptors in the brain including GABAARs (Janko et al., 2012; Menez et al. 2012) and also possibly acting on P2X4 receptors

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