Table 1.

Summary of findings examining the effects of ethanol exposure on the melanocortin system.

Method of ethanol delivery	Brain area	Alterations in protein expression
Acute ethanol diet	Amygdala	= α-MSH6
	Arc	↓ α-MSH6, = AgRP4, ↓ POMC5, ↓ PC1/35, = PC25
	BNST	↓ α-MSH4
	CeA	= α-MSH4, ↓ α-MSH3
	DMH	= α-MSH4, ↓ α-MSH3
	Frontal cortex	= α-MSH6
	Hippocampus	= α-MSH6
	LH	= α-MSH4,6
	NAc	= α-MSH6
	PAG	= α-MSH4
	Pituitary	↓ α-MSH6
	PVN	= α-MSH4
	PVT	↓ α-MSH4
	Striatum	= α-MSH6
	Substantia nigra	↓ α-MSH6
Chronic ethanol diet	Arc	↓ α-MSH3, ↓POMC5
	BNST	↓ α-MSH4
	CeA	↑ α-MSH3, ↓ α-MSH4
	DMH	↑ α-MSH3, = α-MSH4
	LH	= α-MSH3, ↓ α-MSH4
	PAG	= α-MSH4
	PVN	↑ α-MSH3, = α-MSH4
	PVT	= α-MSH3, ↓ α-MSH4
Withdrawal from ethanol diet	Arc	↑ α-MSH3
	CeA	↑ α-MSH3
	DMH	↑ α-MSH3
	LH	= α-MSH3
	PVN	↑ α-MSH3
	PVT	= α-MSH3
Vapor chamber	Hypothalamus	↓ POMC7
	Pituitary	↓ α-MSH8
Voluntary consumption	Hypothalamus	↑ POMC2
Bath application (in vitro)	Hypothalamus	↑ POMC1

↑, peptide/protein levels increase in response to ethanol exposure; ↓, peptide/protein levels decrease in response to ethanol exposure; =, ethanol has no effect on peptide/protein levels. AgRP, agouti-related protein; Arc, arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus; BNST, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis; CeA, central nucleus of the amygdala; DMH, dorsomedial hypothalamus; LH, lateral hypothalamus; MSH, melanocyte stimulating hormone; NAc, nucleus accumbens; PAG, periaqueductal gray; POMC, proopiomelanocortin; PVN, paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus; PVT, paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus. References are as follows:

¹Cubero et al. (2010);

²De Waele and Gianoulakis (1994);

³Kokare et al. (2008);

⁴Navarro et al. (2008);

⁵Navarro et al. (2013);

⁶Rainero et al. (1990);

⁷Scanlon et al. (1992);

⁸Wilkinson et al. (1986).