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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

EV1109

GLP-1 receptor agonists and reward modulation in psychiatry: implications for addictive behaviors and hedonic function

GLP-1 RECEPTOR AGONISTS AND REWARD MODULATION IN PSYCHIATRY: IMPLICATIONS FOR ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOURS AND HEDONIC FUNCTION

GLP-1 receptor agonists may alter reward processing beyond appetite regulation; this promising effect in addiction must be balanced against careful assessment of hedonic and affective outcomes.

The study aimed to examine whether GLP-1-mediated reward modulation offers a transdiagnostic approach to reward-related psychopathology, while also exploring its potential effects on hedonic and affective functioning. The method was a narrative review integrating evidence from preclinical, neuroimaging, observational, and clinical studies; no quantitative data synthesis or pooling of samples was performed. The poster presents a framework extending from semaglutide, exenatide, and liraglutide to central GLP-1 signaling (the nucleus tractus solitarius and widely distributed receptors), and from there to reward circuits (the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens, and ventral striatum). Preclinical evidence indicated that GLP-1 signaling activates reward-related regions and reduces alcohol-related reward in animal models. Human data indicated that exenatide reduced alcohol cue reactivity, whereas drinking outcomes were mixed in the overall study population. A small phase 2 trial reported that semaglutide reduced alcohol self-administration, craving, and the number of drinks per drinking day. The anticipated effects were described as reductions in cue reactivity and craving, along with changes in motivated behavior; outcomes requiring monitoring were listed as hedonic tone, motivation, affective experience, and psychiatric safety. The clinical interpretation is that GLP-1 receptor agonists may reduce incentive salience, but their effects on pleasure, motivation, and affect require prospective assessment; research priorities include identifying patients likely to respond, measuring wanting and liking separately, and demonstrating long-term efficacy.

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