Alcohol use disorder (AUD) causes an alarming economic and health burden in the United States. Unfortunately, this disease does not exist in isolation; AUD is highly comorbid with nicotine use. Results from both human and animal models demonstrate a genetic correlation between alcohol and nicotine behaviors. These data support the idea of shared genetic and neural mechanisms underlying these behaviors. Nicotine acts directly at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) to have its pharmacological effect. Interestingly, alcohol also acts both directly and indirectly at these receptors. Research utilizing genetically engineered rodents and pharmacological manipulations suggest a role for nAChR in several ethanol behaviors. The current manuscript collates this literature and discusses findings that implicate specific nAChR subunits in ethanol phenotypes. These data suggest future directions for targeting nAChR as novel therapeutics for AUD.

酒精使用障碍 (AUD) 在美国造成了惊人的经济和健康负担。不幸的是，这种疾病并不是孤立存在的。澳元与尼古丁使用高度共存。人类和动物模型的结果表明酒精和尼古丁行为之间存在遗传相关性。这些数据支持这些行为背后的共享遗传和神经机制的想法。尼古丁直接作用于烟碱乙酰胆碱受体 (nAChR) 以发挥其药理作用。有趣的是，酒精也直接和间接作用于这些受体。利用基因工程啮齿动物和药理学操作的研究表明 nAChR 在几种乙醇行为中的作用。目前的手稿整理了这些文献，并讨论了乙醇表型中涉及特定 nAChR 亚基的发现。这些数据表明了靶向 nAChR 作为 AUD 新疗法的未来方向。