The Emerging Role of LHb CaMKII in the Comorbidity of Depressive and Alcohol Use Disorders

Depressive disorders and alcohol use disorders are widespread among the general population and are significant public health and economic burdens. Alcohol use disorders often co-occur with other psychiatric conditions and this dual diagnosis is called comorbidity. Depressive disorders invariably con...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of molecular sciences 2020-10, Vol.21 (21), p.8123
Main Authors: Shor, Chaya, Zuo, Wanhong, Eloy, Jean D, Ye, Jiang-Hong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
addiction
alcohol
Alcoholism - physiopathology
Animals
Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2 - metabolism
CaMKII
Comorbidity
depression
Depressive Disorder - physiopathology
drugs of abuse
Habenula - metabolism
Habenula - pathology
Humans
lateral habenula
Review
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Summary:Depressive disorders and alcohol use disorders are widespread among the general population and are significant public health and economic burdens. Alcohol use disorders often co-occur with other psychiatric conditions and this dual diagnosis is called comorbidity. Depressive disorders invariably contribute to the development and worsening of alcohol use disorders, and vice versa. The mechanisms underlying these disorders and their comorbidities remain unclear. Recently, interest in the lateral habenula, a small epithalamic brain structure, has increased because it becomes hyperactive in depression and alcohol use disorders, and can inhibit dopamine and serotonin neurons in the midbrain reward center, the hypofunction of which is believed to be a critical contributor to the etiology of depressive disorders and alcohol use disorders as well as their comorbidities. Additionally, calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in the lateral habenula has emerged as a critical player in the etiology of these comorbidities. This review analyzes the interplay of CaMKII signaling in the lateral habenula associated with depressive disorders and alcohol use disorders, in addition to the often-comorbid nature of these disorders. Although most of the CaMKII signaling pathway's core components have been discovered, much remains to be learned about the biochemical events that propagate and link between depression and alcohol abuse. As the field rapidly advances, it is expected that further understanding of the pathology involved will allow for targeted treatments.
ISSN:1422-0067
1661-6596
1422-0067
DOI:10.3390/ijms21218123