ReviewPsychopharmacology2014
The role of ghrelin in addiction: a review.
Review in Psychopharmacology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 64 citations in OpenAlex.
- A closer look at alcohol-induced changes in the ghrelin system: novel insights from preclinical and clinical data.Addiction biology · 2022Trial
- Pharmacological manipulation of the ghrelin system and alcohol hangover symptoms in heavy drinking individuals: Is there a link?Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior · 2018Trial
- Prevalence of food addiction and its association with ghrelin and metabolic parameters in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study.BMC endocrine disorders · 2026Article
- Effects of Fentanyl-Adulterated Methamphetamine on Circulating Ghrelin in Rats.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Novel potential pharmacological approaches in treating eating disorders comorbid with substance use disorders.Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie · 2025Review
- Changes in Locomotor Activity Observed During Acute Nicotine Withdrawal Can Be Attenuated by Ghrelin and GHRP-6 in Rats.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- Ghrelin Amplifies the Nicotine-Induced Release of Dopamine in the Bed Nucleus of Stria Terminalis (BNST).Biomedicines · 2023Article
- Advances in the Development of Nonpeptide Small Molecules Targeting Ghrelin Receptor.Journal of medicinal chemistry · 2022Review
- The Role of Ghrelin/GHS-R1A Signaling in Nonalcohol Drug Addictions.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
- The Relationship of Serum Leptin and Ghrelin Levels with Craving and Withdrawal in Opioid Use Disorder.Alpha psychiatry · 2021Article
- Ghrelin octanoylation by ghrelinOpen biology · 2021Review
- Effects of Ghrelin on Olfactory Ensheathing Cell Viability and Neural Marker Expression.Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN · 2021Article
- Evidence for Modulation of Substance Use Disorders by the Gut Microbiome: Hidden in Plain Sight.Pharmacological reviews · 2021Review
- Cannabinoid-Induced Conditioned Place Preference, Intravenous Self-Administration, and Behavioral Stimulation Influenced by Ghrelin Receptor Antagonism in Rats.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Article
- What can we learn from PWS and SNORD116 genes about the pathophysiology of addictive disorders?Molecular psychiatry · 2021Review
- An overview of ghrelinExpert opinion on therapeutic patents · 2020Review
- Exploration of the role of serum ghrelin in the diagnosis and treatment of digestive tract malignancies.The Journal of international medical research · 2020Article
- Ghrelin Receptor Influence on Cocaine Reward is Not Directly Dependent on Peripheral Acyl-Ghrelin.Scientific reports · 2019Article
- Tobacco Smoking, Eating Behaviors, and Body Weight: A Review.Current addiction reports · 2019Article
- Brain and Cognition for Addiction Medicine: From Prevention to Recovery Neural Substrates for Treatment of Psychostimulant-Induced Cognitive Deficits.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2019Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
rationaleGhrelin is a fast-acting hormone that is produced primarily by the stomach and by the brain although in smaller quantities. The regulation and the secretion of ghrelin are complex and not limited to aspects of feeding. Ghrelin exerts powerful effects on multiple processes, and it has been demonstrated that it mediates the rewarding properties of food as well as of drugs of abuse.
objectivesThe purpose of this review is to summarize the findings of preclinical and clinical studies related to ghrelin's possible role in addiction for each specific class of substances. Questions related to ghrelin's involvement in addiction are highlighted. Recurrent methodological issues that render the interpretation of the findings challenging are discussed. Also, the potential of targeting ghrelin as a pharmacologic treatment strategy for addiction is explored.
resultsGhrelin signaling is implicated in the mediation of behavioral and biochemical effects of drugs of abuse that are cardinal for the development of addiction, especially for alcohol, nicotine, and stimulants. The available literature implicating ghrelin in opioid or cannabis use disorders is currently limited and inconclusive.
conclusionsThere is intriguing, although not always consistent, evidence for the involvement of ghrelin signaling in aspects of addiction, especially in the cases of alcohol, nicotine, and stimulants. Further research, particularly in humans, is recommended to replicate and expand on the findings of the current literature. Improved and novel methodologies that take into account the volatile and complex nature of ghrelin are required to clarify the inconsistencies of the findings.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.