However, the same neural circuits and cell types that mediate the suppressive effects of GLP-1R agonists on cocaine-seeking behavior are mostly unknown.
‘Cocaine persists to be one of the most commonly exploited illegal drugs in the United States.’
A new research team from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) has discovered that GLP-1Rs are expressed on specific cell types and neural circuits in the brain that reduce cocaine-seeking behavior. Researchers have also found that GLP-1Rs are displayed primarily on GABAergic neurons in the hindbrain.
The effectiveness of the GLP-1R agonist exendin-4 to reduce cocaine-seeking depends, in part, on the activation of these GABA circuits. Moreover, activating these endogenous anti-craving circuits in the brain using viral-mediated gene delivery methods was sufficient to reduce cocaine-seeking behavior.
These findings highlight GLP-1R-expressing anti-craving circuits in the brain that could work as potential targets to overcome cocaine craving-induced relapse.
Lead investigator Heath D. Schmidt, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Nursing at Penn Nursing, said, "Overall, the translational implications of these results are profound in that they support GLP-1R-focused therapeutic strategies for the treatment of cocaine craving and relapse."
Source: Medindia