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Scientists find chemical that helps stop alcoholism
North Carolina - University of North Carolina researchers have found a compound that blocks activity of Neuropeptide Y (NPY) — a neurotransmitter that is integral to functions such as anxiety, pain, memory and feeding behaviours — can also decrease both the onset as well as the repetition of alcohol consumption.
These findings have important implications for the treatment of both alcohol abuse and dependence.
Peptides are a class of neurotransmitters, chemicals used by brain cells to communicate. NPY is the most abundant and widely distributed peptide.