An oxytocin-based nasal spray could help treat alcoholism, according to a study

Scientists believe that a nasal spray of oxytocin could help treat alcoholism, according to a new study.

The research, published Tuesday in the journal PLOS Biology, found that alcohol-dependent rats drank less after receiving a dose of oxytocin, the "hug hormone."

The authors of the study – led by Drs. Tunstall, Koob and Vendruscolo of the National Institutes of Health and Drs. Kirson and Roberto of the Scripps Research Institute – believe that their findings could result in new pharmaceutical treatments for alcoholism, said a statement.

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Oxytocin, sometimes called "hug hormone" or "love hormone," is released when people bond or hug each other, according to Medical News Today.

The hormone has already been deemed "promising" as a possible treatment for drug abuse, as it decreases withdrawal symptoms and drug-seeking behavior for several narcotics, the statement said.

A new study found that an oxytocin nasal spray might help treat alcoholism, after the researchers discovered that "love hormone" had helped to block the increase in alcohol consumption in alcohol-dependent rats.
(IStock)

The researchers decided to examine how oxytocin could reduce alcohol consumption by administering doses of oxytocin via the nose (intranasally) and abdomen (intraperitoneally) to alcohol-dependent rats. to normal rats, according to the summary of the study.

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Although both forms of oxytocin blocked the increase in alcohol consumption in alcohol-dependent rats, the hormone administered by the abdomen reduced movement in men and women. rats, in contrast to oxytocin administered to rats through the nose.

Scientists have also studied the impact of oxytocin on alcohol consumption and neurotransmitter signaling GABA, located in a region of the brain strongly affected by alcohol dependence, the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA).

"Experiments have shown that oxytocin administered systemically, intranasally, or in the brain blocks excessive alcohol consumption in alcohol-dependent rats, but not in normal rats," says the press release. "In addition, oxytocin blocked GABA signaling in the CEA."

"Taken together, these results provide evidence that oxytocin probably blocks increased alcohol consumption by altering the transmission of CeA GABA," the statement said.