OXT and AVP interactions is the possibility that OXT and AVP receptors can form heterodimers with unknown results on peptide binding (Chini et al., 2017). Interestingly, a role for AVP has been implicated in the transition to alcohol dependence (Zhou and Kreek, 2018) and AVP receptor antagonism (V1b) has been shown to decrease alcohol intake in rodents (Zhou and Kreek, 2018, Edwards et al., 2012, Katz et al., 2016) as well as reduce nicotine and alcohol consumption in humans (Ryan et al., 2017). It is noteworthy, however, that while activation of OXTR reduces alcohol consumption (Passoni et al., 2016, Bahi, 2015), antagonists of the V1b receptor also reduce alcohol drinking (Zhou and Kreek, 2018, Edwards et al., 2012, Katz et al., 2016), suggesting that it is unlikely that OXT produces this effect via activation of AVP (V1b) receptors. Nevertheless, the potential for OXT and AVP systems to operate cooperatively in regulating alcohol/drug taking behavior is a possibility that requires more experimental attention.
