Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34343618›Full record

ReviewBrain, behavior, and immunity2021

Immune treatments for alcohol use disorder: A translational framework.

Lindsay R Meredith, Elizabeth M Burnette, Erica N Grodin, Michael R Irwin, Lara A Ray

Open access · greenAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Brain, behavior, and immunity, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 41 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
41citing papers in PubMed
2.9field-weighted citation impact, top 7% 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

41 citing papers in PubMed, 60 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
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  6. Global deletion ofbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  7. MAO-B status in alcohol use disorder: a [Molecular psychiatry · 2026
    Article
  8. Article
  9. CBMolecular psychiatry · 2026
    Article
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Thiamine Deficiency and Neuroinflammation Are Important Contributors to Alcohol Use Disorder.Pathophysiology : the official journal of the International Society for Pathophysiology · 2025
    Review
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Review
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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

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Lindsay R MeredithDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Elizabeth M BurnetteDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Erica N GrodinDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Michael R IrwinDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Lara A RayDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: lararay@psych.ucla.edu.
University of California, Los Angeles · USNeurobehavioral Systems · US

Funding

UCLA Training Program in Translational Neuroscience of Drug Abuse (TNDA)T32DA024635 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI LARA A. RAY, Kate M Wassum · 2008 to 2026
$6.2M
Clinical Neuroscience of Alcoholism: Integrating Neuroscience and Clinical TrialsK24AA025704 · NIAAA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI LARA A. RAY · 2018 to 2026
$1.3M
Elucidating the Effects of Neuroimmune Modulation on Neural Substrates of Alcohol Cue and Stress ReactivityF32AA027699 · NIAAA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI GRODIN, ERICA N · 2019 to 2020
$103k
Probing Inflammation and Reward Sensitivity in Alcohol Use DisorderF31AA028976 · NIAAA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI BURNETTE, ELIZABETH · 2020 to 2022
$103k
NIAAA NIH HHS F31 AA028976NIAAA NIH HHS F32 AA027699NIAAA NIH HHS K24 AA025704NIDA NIH HHS T32 DA024635
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

While the immune system is essential for survival, an excessive or prolonged inflammatory response, such as that resulting from sustained heavy alcohol use, can damage the host and contribute to psychiatric disorders. A growing body of literature indicates that the immune system plays a critical role in the development and maintenance of alcohol use disorder (AUD). As such, there is enthusiasm for treatments that can restore healthy levels of inflammation as a mechanism to reduce drinking and promote recovery. In this qualitative literature review, we provide a conceptual rationale for immune therapies and discuss progress in medications development for AUD focused on the immune system as a treatment target. This review is organized into sections based on primary signaling pathways targeted by the candidate therapies, namely: (a) toll-like receptors, (b) phosphodiesterase inhibitors, (c) peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, (d) microglia and astrocytes, (e) other immune pharmacotherapies, and (f) behavioral therapies. As relevant within each section, we examine the basic biological mechanisms of each class of therapy and evaluate preclinical research testing the role of the therapy on mitigating alcohol-related behaviors in animal models. To the extent available, translational findings are reviewed with discussion of completed and ongoing randomized clinical trials and their findings to date. An applied and clinically focused approach is taken to identify the potential clinical applications of the various treatments reviewed. We conclude by delineating the most promising candidate treatments and discussing future directions by considering opportunities for immune treatment development and personalized medicine for AUD.

Indexed as

AlcoholismAnimalsEthanolHumansInflammationToll-Like ReceptorsEthanolToll-Like ReceptorsAddictionAlcohol use disorderHeavy alcohol useImmune systemImmune therapyInflammationMedications developmentNeuroimmune modulatorNeuroinflammation

Identifiers

PMID34343618
PMCPMC9044974
OpenAlexW3190356628

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

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.