Drug Addicts May Resist Relapse With New Memory Boosting Drug

A memory-boosting medication along with behavioral therapy could help addicts stay clean, animal study suggests.

The study has suggested that D-cycloserine, previously used in the lab to treat fear and anxiety disorders, could help an addict resist drugs even when confronted with drug-related cues outside of rehab.

Drug Abuse | Drug Addiction | Substance Abuse - Overview
The use of Drugs for reasons other than its prescribed recommendation, is known as Drug abuse or substance abuse. Drug abuse or substance abuse is initiated by various biological and social factors.

Substance abusers have high rates of relapse, often falling back into old habits only days after they 'quit.'

In this study, a group of researchers led by Mary Torregrossa of Yale University, observed 168 rats that self-administered cocaine for weeks, a behavior that mimics addiction in humans.

The authors then used a form of behavioral therapy called extinction therapy to dampen the craving-inducing effects of cues. The scientists supplemented the therapy with the memory-enhancing drug.

Cannabis
Cannabis has a long history of medicinal, recreational, and industrial use and comes from a bushy plant with thick sticky flowers called Cannabis Sativa

"Extinction therapy usually only works where the therapy takes place, like a treatment center," Torregrossa said.

"Using drugs like D-cycloserine to make extinction work more broadly is a big advancement in the treatment of addiction."

Drug Abuse Screening Test
Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST) is a screening test to find out if you need professional help with ‘Drug Abuse’ problem. This is only an anonymous self test.

The new results show that extinction therapy, in conjunction with D-cycloserine, could combat relapse due to cues, even in new environments.

The authors also found that the medication acted primarily on a brain region called the nucleus accumbens, an area associated with drug addiction and the formation of drug-related memories.

Barry Everitt, of the University of Cambridge said the study by Torregrossa and her colleagues has implications for transferring clinical therapies to the real world of the addict.

"The study suggests that boosting the activity of glutamate in a specific area of the brain removes this context-specificity of extinction, and might therefore make existing addiction therapies more effective," Everitt said.

The findings were published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Source-ANI

Drug-addicts May Resist Relapse With New Memory Boosting Drug