NPY and major depressive disorder: Due to the effects of neuropeptide Y on stress-level regulation, emotionality and mood control, as well as its anxiolytic properties as shown in several preclinical studies, together with its involvement in neurobiological responses to alcohol consumption and the pathogenesis of alcohol use disorder and withdrawal, neuropeptide Y may be a new treatment strategy not only for alcohol use disorders but also for depression and emotional and anxiety disorders (Heilig and Thorsell, 2002; Carvajal et al., 2006; Tasan et al., 2016).