Scientists May Have Found New Treatment
for Crack Cocaine Addiction
By Dr. Fourkan
Ali
Cocaine is a highly
addictive and powerful drug that many users take recreationally. While some
people can take cocaine and never develop a problem, many will develop a
destructive crack cocaine
addiction that can destroy their
lives. Those who take the drug may experience feelings of euphoria and
confidence although there is also the risk that the user may become aggressive,
restless and paranoid. Some people will become over-confident and may take
unnecessary risks that can lead to accidents and injuries.
Cocaine addiction is very difficult to
overcome as when the effects of the drug wear off the user may experience
intense cravings to take more. The most significant problem with cocaine is the
fact that the effects of the drug last only a short time. This means that when
the effects wear off, users are tempted to take more to get high again. This
results in them building up a tolerance very quickly, which can lead to a
physical and psychological addiction that can be extremely difficult to
overcome.
Possible Cocaine Treatment
Scientists at the McGill University Health
Centre’s research institute in Montreal have conducted a study into microglia
and believe that the results may pave the way for a possible treatment for
cocaine addiction.
Microglia is a type of
brain cell responsible for a number of important brain functions. It is now
believed that these microglia can help to decrease the effect of cocaine on the
brain. The study was published in the Neuron journal. It showed that there might be a
possibility of creating a new treatment for cocaine addiction by harnessing the
microglia’s ability to lower the changes that cocaine use can have on the
neural circuitry of the brain.
Senior author David Stellwagen said, “What we
discovered is that cocaine activates these microglia, which causes the release
of an inflammatory signal, which then tries to reverse the changes that cocaine
is inducing in the neurons.”
Maintaining Normal Brain Function
One of the primary jobs of the microglia is to
maintain healthy brain function. If these brain cells detect that something is
not quite right, they will produce molecules that will result in neurons making
the necessary changes to keep brain functioning on track. An example of the
type of molecule produced is the TNF (tumour necrosis factor).
During the study, scientists analysed the
effect of TNF on a number of brain synapses using a mouse model. Co-author
Sarah Konefal said, “These connections are really important for regulating the
behaviour response in animal models to drugs of abuse such as cocaine.”
The study showed that TNF suppresses certain
changes in the synapses caused by cocaine use. It is thought that these changes
were responsible for cocaine addiction. Unfortunately, the positive effect of
the microglia tends to be temporary, and Dr Stellwagen said, “One of the things
that could transition somebody from just casual use into chronic dependency
might be the fading of this adaptive signal which then allows the drugs to
solidify their change to the neural circuitry.”
The scientists wanted to check if the effect
of the microglia could be prolonged by introducing a pharmaceutical agent. This
agent encourages the production of TNF, and the results showed that the mice
that received the agent saw a reduction in the cocaine related behaviour change
to the brain. There is now hope that a treatment can be developed for cocaine addicts
that will reduce relapse rates, which currently stand at about eighty per cent.
Dr Stellwagen said, “If we could develop a
treatment that would suppress the craving that addicts have in stressful
situations, or when they are re-exposed to situations in which they’d normally
be taking the drug, that may allow them to avoid relapse. And that’s really the
therapeutic goal of the work we have been doing.”
There is also hope that the release of TNF in
the brain could work to suppress cravings for cocaine and then be adapted to
work with other addictive substances such as methamphetamine and alcohol.
Current Cocaine Treatments
Because of the way that prolonged cocaine use
can change the function of the brain, it is a notoriously difficult addiction
to treat. Cravings for the drug persist long after a person has stopped taking
it, and it is this that often results in relapse. Some people will continue to
crave cocaine for a number of years, and it can prove difficult to resist. The
relapse rate for cocaine and crack cocaine addiction remains very high.
Treatment for cocaine and crack cocaine
addiction at the moment involves treating both the physical and psychological
aspects of the illness. There is also a need to address the social side of it.
It may be necessary for those who want to overcome a cocaine addiction to
complete a programme of detoxification before beginning a rehabilitation
programme that could include cognitive behavioural therapy, one-to-one
counselling, motivational interviewing and group therapy. At the moment, there
is no medication to treat cocaine addiction, but with continued research into
the illness, new treatments could soon be available.
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