Gene Therapy For Addiction: Flooding Brain With 'Pleasure Chemic...

Courtesy ScienceDaily  Fri, 04/18/2008 - 13:00

Increasing the brain level of receptors for dopamine, a pleasure-related chemical, can reduce use of cocaine by 75 percent in rats trained to self-administer it.

Earlier research had similar findings for alcohol intake. Treatments that increase levels of these chemicals -- dopamine D2 receptors -- may prove useful in treating addiction.


 

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