In a recent study, researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center found that blocking neurogenesis -- the normal growth of new nerve cells in the brain -- made rodents more vulnerable to addiction and relapse.

Researchers are hoping that the opposite effect -- facilitating neurogenesis -- may improve addiction treatment and relapse prevention in humans.

"More research will be needed to test this hypothesis, but treatments that increase adult neurogenesis may prevent addiction before it starts, which would be especially important for patients treated with potentially addictive medications," said Dr. Amelia Eisch, associate professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study.

The study, which is the first to link addiction with neurogenesis in a specific part of the brain, appeared in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Labels: addiction, brain_chemistry, relapse

In a recent study, researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center found that blocking neurogenesis -- the normal growth of new nerve cells in the brain -- made rodents more vulnerable to addiction and relapse. Researchers are hoping that the opposite effect -- facilitating neurogenesis -- may help treat addiction and relapse in humans.

Dr. Amelia Eisch, associate professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study, commented on the findings: "More research will be needed to test this hypothesis, but treatments that increase adult neurogenesis may prevent addiction before it starts, which would be especially important for patients treated with potentially addictive medications."

She continued, "Additionally, treatments that increase adult neurogenesis during abstinence might prevent relapse. If we can create and implement therapies that prevent addiction from happening in the first place, we can improve the length and quality of life for millions of drug abusers, and all those affected by an abuser's behavior."

The study, which is the first to link addiction with neurogenesis in a specific part of the brain, appears in the current issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: addiction treatment, brain_chemistry

According to new research by a team of scientists at The Scripps Research Institute, a specific stress hormone is key to the development and maintenance of alcohol dependence. The researchers found that by blocking the stress hormone corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), they could also block the symptoms of addiction. This correlation suggests a promising concept for developing a drug to treat alcohol dependence.

The research, which occurred over the six-year period, will appear in an article in an upcoming print edition of the journal Biological Psychiatry.

Associate Professor Marisa Roberta, lead researcher, commented on the findings: "I'm excited about this study. It represents an important step in understanding how the brain changes when it moves from a normal to an alcohol-dependent state."

The study not only confirms the central role of CRF in alcohol dependence, but it also shows that CRF can be successfully blocked on a long-term basis (at least in rats) to alleviate the symptoms of alcohol dependence. This is the first study to do so.

Roberta further commented: "Research to understand alcoholism is important for society. Our study explored what we call in the field 'the dark side' of alcohol addiction. That's the compulsion to drink, not because it is pleasurable -- which has been the focus of much previous research -- but because it relieves the anxiety generated by abstinence and the stressful effects of withdrawal."

(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: alcohol, brain_chemistry

A new study involving an unlikely creature -- the zebrafish -- has shown that genes involved in brain reward processes and adult neuron formation may be involved in drug addiction.

German and Dutch researchers compared gene expressions in normal and mutant zebrafish who had and had not been exposed to amphetamines. They found that 139 genetic transcripts were expressed differentially between wild type zebrafish and mutant fish that don't respond to the drug. This allowed researchers to identify a dominant mutation that renders zebrafish indifferent to amphetamines.

Katherine Webb, a neurogenetics researcher at the German Research Center for Environmental Health and the study's lead author, commented on the study's goal: "Because a major step in the development of addiction is the switch from drug use to drug abuse ... we aimed to gain insight into the mechanisms triggering the initiation of addictive behavior."

The study results are available online through Genome Biology.

(Source: www.genomeweb.com)

Labels: addiction, brain_chemistry, drug-abuse

A new study involving an unlikely creature -- the zebrafish -- has shown that genes involved in brain reward processes and adult neuron formation may be involved in drug addiction.

German and Dutch researchers compared gene expressions in normal and mutant zebrafish who had and had not been exposed to amphetamines. They found that 139 genetic transcripts were expressed differentially between wild type zebrafish and mutant fish that don’t respond to the drug. This allowed researchers to identify a dominant mutation that renders zebrafish indifferent to amphetamines.

Katherine Webb, a neurogenetics researcher at the German Research Center for Environmental Health and the study's lead author, commented on the study's goal: "Because a major step in the development of addiction is the switch from drug use to drug abuse ... we aimed to gain insight into the mechanisms triggering the initiation of addictive behavior."

The study results are available online through Genome Biology.

(Source: www.genomeweb.com)

Labels: addiction, brain_chemistry, drug-abuse

Meth abusers may be able to regain normal brain functioning after a sustained period of drug abuse; however, this process requires significant time. A new study from researchers at the University of California at Davis shows that it takes at least a year for former meth abusers to regain normal levels of impulse control, and that regaining other brain functions may take even longer.

Ruth Salo, author of the study and a UC Davis assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, commented on the findings and related implications for substance abuse treatment programs:

"Recovery from meth abuse does not happen overnight. It may take a year -- or even longer -- for cognitive processes such as impulse control and attentional focus to improve. Treatment programs need to consider this when monitoring recovering addicts' progress during their early periods of abstinence. I can confidently tell patients that the longer they stay in a structured rehabilitation program and remain drug free, the more likely it is that they will recover some important brain functions."

Ms. Salo and associates used a computer-based attention test to track the cognitive control abilities of 65 recovering meth abusers. Study participants had abstained from meth use for at least three weeks and not more than 10 years, and they had used the drug from 24 months to 28 years. Test results were compared to test results from 33 participants who had never used meth.

(Source: www.scientistslive.com)

Labels: brain_chemistry, drug-abuse, methamphetamines

A new first-of-its-kind study indicates that prenatal exposure to methamphetamines causes abnormal brain development in children. The study, conducted by the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu, included 29 children between the ages of 3 and 4 whose mothers used meth while pregnant. The 29 children received brain scans, which were compared with brain scans of 37 children whose mothers had not used meth while pregnant.

Linda Chang, MD, the study author, comments: "Methamphetamine use is an increasing problem among women of childbearing age, leading to an increasing number of children with prenatal meth exposure. But until now, the effects of prenatal meth exposure on the developing brain of a child were little known.

"Our findings suggest prenatal meth exposure accelerates brain development in an abnormal pattern. Such abnormal brain development may explain why some children with prenatal meth exposure reach developmental milestones later than others."

(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: brain_chemistry, methamphetamines

Rockefeller University researchers have shown that methylphenidate (commonly known as Ritalin), which is typically prescribed to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), may change the brain in the same ways as cocaine. Both substances cause physical changes in the regions of the brain that deal with reward. Because Ritalin is so commonly prescribed for the treatment of ADHD, especially for children, researchers feel that the long-term effects of the medication need further study. Yong Kim, senior research associate, commented on the implications of the study's findings:

"Methylphenidate, which is thought to be a fairly innocuous compound, can have structural and biochemical effects in some regions of the brain that can be even greater than those of cocaine. ... Further studies are needed to determine the behavioral implications of these changes and to understand the mechanisms by which these drugs affect synapse formation." (Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: brain_chemistry, cocaine, ritalin