Abstract
Alcohol dependence is a chronic relapsing disorder with an enormous economic loss worldwide. Alcohol-related issues should be elucidated based on the broad area including the health sciences, education, socioeconomics, and political measures. In this review, the neurobiological mechanisms underpinning alcohol dependence were outlined by previous findings. A phenotype of alcohol abuse/dependence may be a form of dysfunctional, maladaptive learning that is difficult to reverse after once established. The development of alcohol dependence is involved in the interaction between dopamine-based reward systems and mechanism of neural plasticity, learning and memory that are mediated by the glutamatergic neurotransmission.
