Research
Hormonal
GLP-1 receptor stimulation attenuates the reward effects of psychostimulants (cocaine and amphetamine) and nicotine, suggesting a role for endogenous GLP-1 in curbing drug reward.
GLP-1 based therapies may reduce the reward of addictive substances like cocaine, amphetamine, and nicotine. This suggests a potential future use in addiction treatment, particularly for reducing the 'high' or craving associated with these substances. However, this is currently based on animal studies.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Peripheral delivery of EX4 attenuated cocaine reward behavior in mice... peripheral injection of EX4 in rats reduced both basal locomotor activity and amphetamine-induced hyperactivity... nicotine reward... was significantly enhanced in mice lacking the GLP-1R
Why this rating
Based on preclinical studies; human clinical data is explicitly noted as missing.
Source
The central GLP-1: implications for food and drug reward
Karolina P. Skibicka · Frontiers in Neuroscience · 2013
DOI 10.3389/fnins.2013.00181
narrative_reviewCited 168×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Activation of mesolimbic GLP-1 receptors (specifically in the VTA and NAc) reduces food reward and intake by lowering the hedonic value and incentive salience of palatable foods, independent of nausea or general motor suppression.Good
- GLP-1 receptor stimulation reduces alcohol consumption and reward, particularly in individuals with high baseline alcohol intake, by acting on the mesolimbic system.Moderate
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