BYU Study Links Immune System to Alcohol Addiction Treatment

Nearly 12% of American men and 8% of women struggle with Alcohol Use Disorder, unable to stop drinking despite devastating consequences. Now researchers at Brigham Young University have uncovered a surprising connection between the immune system and alcohol addiction that could change how we treat this disease.

The interdisciplinary team of 17 researchers studied mice with a disabled immune protein called CD5. These mice drank significantly less alcohol than normal mice, even though they metabolized it at the same rate.

The secret lies in how alcohol affects dopamine, the brain's reward chemical. Most people think alcohol directly increases dopamine, but it actually works by suppressing GABA, the brain's calming neurotransmitter. When researchers disabled CD5 on immune cells, it changed how both dopamine and GABA cells functioned.

"We found there was less of an alcohol reward in the mice population that had CD5 removed from their immune cells, so eventually they didn't drink as much," said Professor Scott Weber. The mice still had access to alcohol but simply lost interest in consuming it.

This matters because current treatments for alcohol addiction are limited. Only three FDA-approved medications exist, and all target the brain directly. An immunotherapy approach could offer a completely new path to helping people break free from addiction.

The Bright Side

The research represents the first study to explore whether alcohol consumption involves neuroimmune mechanisms. While scientists have long understood addiction as a brain disorder, this work reveals the immune system plays an unexpected supporting role.

Professor Jeff Edwards emphasized they haven't solved everything yet, but identifying this mechanism opens exciting possibilities. "If we are able to identify the mechanism of how this works, an immunotherapy could be developed down the road that may make it easier for people to break this addictive alcohol cycle," he said.

First author Andrew Payne, now a professor at Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine, believes their work will help pave the way for treatments that alleviate real suffering. "Addiction represents a set of disorders that are remarkably difficult to overcome, and new treatment options are sorely needed," he explained.

The study appeared in the peer-reviewed journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. For the millions of Americans and their families affected by alcohol addiction, this research offers genuine hope that better treatments are on the horizon.