Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24658530›Full record

ArticlePloS one2014

A heuristic model of alcohol dependence.

Zhen Qi, Felix Tretter, Eberhard O Voit

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 33% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Zhen QiDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University Medical School, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America; Integrative BioSystems Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America; Center for Neurodegenerative Disease, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
Felix TretterIsar-Amper-Klinikum gemeinnützige GmbH, Klinikum München-Ost, Haar, Landkreis München, Germany.
Eberhard O VoitDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University Medical School, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America; Integrative BioSystems Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
Georgia Institute of Technology · USIsar-Amper-Klinikum München-Ost · DE

Funding

PROJECT 3: METABOLOMIC BIOMARKERS OF PARKINSON'S DISEASEP01ES016731 · NIEHS · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI MILLER, GARY W · 2008 to 2012
$6.7M
NIEHS NIH HHS P01 ES016731NIEHS NIH HHS P01-ES016731
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSubstance dependence poses a critical health problem. Sadly, its neurobiological mechanisms are still unclear, and this lack of real understanding is reflected in insufficient treatment options. It has been hypothesized that alcohol effects are due to an imbalance between neuroexcitatory and neuroinhibitory amino acids. However, glutamate and GABA interact with other neurotransmitters, which form a complicated network whose functioning evades intuition and should be investigated systemically with methods of biomedical systems analysis. METHODS AND

resultsWe present a heuristic model of neurotransmitters that combines a neurochemical interaction matrix at the biochemical level with a mobile describing the balances between pairs of neurotransmitters at the physiological and behavioral level. We investigate the effects of alcohol on the integrated neurotransmitter systems at both levels. The model simulation results are consistent with clinical and experimental observations. The model demonstrates that the drug diazepam for symptoms of alcohol withdrawal effectively reduces the imbalances between neurotransmitters. Moreover, the acetylcholine signal is suggested as a novel target for treatment of symptoms associated with alcohol withdrawal.

conclusionsEfficient means of integrating clinical symptoms across multiple levels are still scarce and difficult to establish. We present a heuristic model of systemic neurotransmitter functionality that permits the assessment of genetic, biochemical, and pharmacological perturbations. The model can serve as a tool to represent clinical and biological observations and explore various scenarios associated with alcohol dependence and its treatments. It also is very well suited for educational purposes.

Indexed as

AlcoholismDiazepamgamma-Aminobutyric AcidGlutamic AcidHumansModels, BiologicalModels, PsychologicalNeurotransmitter AgentsSubstance Withdrawal SyndromeDiazepamgamma-Aminobutyric AcidGlutamic AcidNeurotransmitter Agents

Identifiers

PMID24658530
PMCPMC3962390
OpenAlexW2067508991

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.