Gene Therapy May Treat Cocaine Addiction
Filed in archive Gene Therapy on April 16, 2008
Using gene therapy, researchers have demonstrated in rats that increasing the levels of dopamine D2 receptors in the brain can reduce use of cocaine by 75 percent.
"By increasing dopamine D2 receptor levels, we saw a dramatic drop in these rats' interest in cocaine," said lead author Panayotis (Peter) Thanos, a neuroscientist with Brookhaven Lab and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Laboratory of Neuroimaging. "This provides new evidence that low levels of dopamine D2 receptors may play an important role in not just alcoholism but in cocaine abuse as well. It also shows a potential direction for addiction therapies."
The study, published online in the journal Synapse, indicates that gene therapy may be a promising method to treat drug and alcohol addiction.
Permalink: Gene Therapy May Treat Cocaine Addiction
Tags: gene+therapy drug+addiction drug+rehabilitation cocaine gene treat+cocaine cocaine+addiction
Vote for Gene Therapy May Treat Cocaine Addiction:
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Rating: 9.33 out of 3 vote(s) cast.
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Response from:
Drug addiction treatment
(06/09/08 5:31am)
I am looking forward to see these effects on humans. I know how hard it is to fight drug addiction, perhaps that's why I am a little bit skeptical about this new method that promises a much more easier approach.
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