Gene expression regulated through cocaine addition, study shows

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by Change | 14 May 2009

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Drug addiction recovery could be advanced by new study.

A new study has provided fresh insight which may lead to new strategies for battling drug addictions.

Published in the journal Neuron, the study sheds light on the molecular pathways regulated by cocaine.

The research builds on the established idea that i/n drug addiction changes in gene expression contribute to the long lasting regulation of the brain's reward circuitry.

It looks at this idea with new depth to analyse how specific genes are regulated.

The study identified a previously unrecognized group of genes called sirtuins involved in cocaine addiction.

Dr Nestler from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, who worked on the study, said: "Although we have known for some time that changes in gene expression contribute to the long lasting regulation of the brain's reward circuitry that is seen during drug addiction, how those specific genes are regulated is not well understood."

According to government statistics, there were an estimated 328,767 problem drug users in England in 2006-07.

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