A systems medicine research approach for studying alcohol addiction

• DOI: 10.1111/adb.12109
• Publication Date: 2013-11-28T09:45:04Z
• Authors: Rainer Spanagel; Daniel Durstewitz; Anita Hansson; Andreas Heinz; Falk Kiefer; Georg Köhr; Franziska Matthäus; Markus M. Nöthen; Hamid R. Noori; Klaus Obermayer; Marcella Rietschel; Patrick Schloss; Henrike Scholz; Gunter Schumann; Michael Smolka; Wolfgang Sommer; Valentina Vengeliene; Henrik Walter; Wolfgang Wurst; Uli S. Zimmermann; ; Sven Stringer; Yannick Smits; Eske M. Derks
• Keywords: Brief intervention; Addiction medicine

According to the World Health Organization, about 2 billion people drink alcohol. Excessive alcohol consumption can result in addiction, which is one of most prevalent neuropsychiatric diseases afflicting our society today. Prevention and intervention binging adolescents treatment alcoholism are major unmet challenges affecting health-care system alike. Our newly formed German SysMedAlcoholism consortium using a new systems medicine approach intends (1) define individual neurobehavioral risk profiles that predictive use disorders later life (2) identify pharmacological targets molecules for alcoholism. To achieve these goals, we will omics-information from epigenomics, genetics transcriptomics, neurodynamics, global neurochemical connectomes neuroimaging (IMAGEN; Schumann et al. ) feed mathematical prediction modules provided by two Bernstein Centers Computational Neurosciences (Berlin Heidelberg/Mannheim), results subsequently be functionally validated independent clinical samples appropriate animal models. This lead early strategies innovative relapse prevention tested experimental human studies. research program ultimately help consolidating addiction clusters Germany effectively conduct large trials, implement impact political healthcare decision makers.