Jun-Xu Li has lead scientists at the University of Buffalo's Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology to discovering a way to combat cocaine addiction as well as relapse. One in four adults between the ages of 24 and 36 have tried cocaine at least once. Seventy-five percent of those people became addicted to it. As of now, no medicine exists for cocaine addiction. A compound that goes by RO5263397 was found to strongly diminish the effects of cocaine addiction. In an animal trial on mice, trace amine associated receptor 1 (TAAR 1), a receptor in the brain that dampens dopamine activity, was stimulated in an effort to counteract cocaine addiction. The subjected mice were much less persistent in returning to the location from which they got their cocaine. In addition, the mice were found to relapse less often because they became less willing to work for and earn their cocaine. This is a large breakthrough in the field of addiction medicine as it is the first of its kind and could possibly lead to addiction medicine that is more effective towards other drugs or addictive behaviors.
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Collaborative- Li lead a team of scientists to this discovery
Based on evidence- Li and his team at the University of Buffalo ran trials on mice
Motivation and curiosity- This could be the first possible cure for cocaine addiction and it was funded by the National Institutes of Health
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This is a very interesting concept as drug addiction is a problem in today's society, and a way to cure addiction would be very useful. The National Institute of Drug Use says that cocaine is a stimulant which highly increases the levels of dopamine in your body when you take it. Cocaine users often have heart attacks or strokes, and when combined with other drugs and alcohol, can be lethal. Jun-Xu Li's study has a promising start, hopefully the future will lead to more experiments and the possible development of a drug to cure cocaine addiction.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting article. The main problem with cocaine is that the dopamine levels increase so much that your brain thinks that it doesn't have to produce it anymore. This is what causes the addiction or dependency on cocaine. A cure for, or at least an attempt to slow addiction of, cocaine would be a massive gain the science industry because our country will always maintain a struggle with substance abuse.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting article! The compound RO5263397 is not the only thing that has been found to help with cocaine addictions. Other research has been conducted to find a cure for cocaine addiction. Anna Konova, a psychology graduate student at Stony Brook University in N.Y., found that a single dose of methylphenidate normalizes the nerve pathways that go crazy in cocaine addicts' brains when they are craving cocaine. For more information about methylphenidate go to http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cocaine-addiction-may-be-cured-by-ritalin/
ReplyDeleteThis article was very interesting to read. Livestrong's website says that as of now, they have no medication for cocaine addiction; although they use behavioral treatments, counseling, and cognitive behavioral therapy in their programs. With a new solution like this, they may be able to help a lot of people who are in some trouble right now. It may be interesting to observe what the long-term effects of reduced dopamine levels would have.
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