The modulatory effects of neuropeptides have become subjects of intense investigation in the alcohol research field. Neuropeptides implicated in stress responses, such as CRF, appear to contribute to stress–EtOH interactions as well as drinking and relapse. Acute EtOH exposure alters the release of some neuropeptides, while others alter synaptic transmission in ways that interfere with the actions of EtOH. Chronic EtOH exposure also appears to alter neuropeptide modulatory actions. In addition to providing tools for investigation of mechanisms involved in EtOH actions, the neuropeptides may also provide new avenues for pharmacotherapies that could be used in the treatment of alcohol use disorders. Researchers have just begun to explore the alcohol-related actions of a few of the many neuropeptides found in the brain. Thus, more work remains to fully define how peptides participate in the neural actions of alcohol.
