Treatment for alcoholism starts in the brain: scientists have discovered a group of neurons that are responsible for cravings for alcohol. And they successfully tested new methods of treating alcoholism by suppressing the activity of these neurons. Does this mean that we are close to the final victory of sobriety as the norm of life?
Basic Ideas
- Dopamine-sensitive neurons are responsible for addiction.
- Alcohol increases the sensitivity of D1 neurons, which encourage us to do what we want to drink.
- By suppressing the activity of D1 neurons, you can muffle this urge and reduce addiction.
Perhaps in the near future, bad habits and addictions can be defeated by acting directly on the processes in the brain. A study published by neuroscientists at Texas A&M University (USA) provides grounds for such hopes. The authors of the article discovered a way by which it is possible to reduce the sensitivity of neurons to the effects of alcohol. The results obtained may be an important step towards the creation of a drug to combat alcoholism.1.
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The development of addiction in humans and animals is associated with the action of the dopamine system of the brain. The neurotransmitter dopamine gives us a sense of reward, thanks to him we feel satisfied. There are two types of dopamine receptors, regions of neurons that are sensitive to dopamine. “D1 receptors act like a starter: they cause the need to perform an action. In turn, the D2 receptors act as a brake: it’s like an inner voice insistently telling us: “wait, stop, don’t do this,” explains lead author of the study, Professor Jun Wang.
The D1 receptor plays an important role in addiction. Jun Wong’s team found that drinking large amounts of alcohol affects D1 neurons, making them hypersensitive, more receptive to stimulation. “When these neurons are stimulated, we feel the need for alcohol,” Wong says. – This desire becomes stronger and occurs more often if the neurons become more sensitive. That’s how addiction happens.” When neurons with D1 receptors fire, they spur us into action—in this case, let’s say pour ourselves a glass of vodka. The craving for alcohol, therefore, feeds on itself: the more a person drinks, the easier neurons are activated and the more difficult it is for him to overcome the craving for alcohol.
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The most exciting result of the research is the possibility of creating a practical tool for getting rid of addiction. Jun Wong and his colleagues succeeded, at least in part, in blocking D1 receptors in mice that had previously been given alcohol. In contrast to the control group, the craving for alcohol in animals that received the drug was reduced. At the same time, another drug that stimulated the “inhibitory” D2 receptors did not give such an effect. “Obviously, by suppressing the activity of the receptors, we can suppress the consumption of alcohol,” says Jun Wong. “Perhaps in the future we can use this data to develop specific treatments that act at the neuronal level.” However, the authors of the study admit that their observations of the behavior of neurons do not yet give a complete picture of how addiction is formed. So it’s too early to celebrate the victory.
1 Journal of Neuroscience, 2015, vol. 35, № 33.
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