CITY ADDICTIONS

Call for a consultation 020 7248 2975

hello@cityaddictions.co.uk

020 7248 2975

CONTACT US

Sticky molecules and the 'cocaine proof' mouse

Researchers in Germany dubbed a certain variant of the CAMK4 gene the ‘cocaine gene' after discovering that cocaine addicts were 25% more likely to carry this variant than non-users.

A biological basis for cocaine addiction.

Addiction is a complex disease and genetics almost certainly play a role, not only in its severity, but in its likelihood of an individual becoming addicted in the first place. Cocaine is rated as the second most addictive narcotic behind heroin. So does cocaine addiction run in the blood? Or, more specifically, the genes?

Back in 2008, researchers at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim, Germany dubbed a certain variant of the CAMK4 gene the ‘cocaine gene’ after discovering that cocaine addicts were 25% more likely to carry this variant than non-users. Rainer Spanagel, professor of psychopharmacology at the institute and leader of the study, concluded that carriers of this gene variant had a “significantly increased likelihood of becoming addicted.”

The ‘cocaine-proof’ mouse

This ignited a flurry of research into the biological basis of cocaine abuse. Most recently, the focus has been on the role of cadherins – a certain type of protein in the brain – after Canadian scientists accidentally created a ‘cocaine-proof’ mouse.

Cadherins play an important role in a process called ‘cell adhesion’. Their role is to form junctions that bind cells within tissues together. In layman’s terms, cadherins act a bit like glue, and this glue is very important in the brain’s learning process. Through a process of ‘positive reinforcement’ our brains are conditioned to repeat positive experiences which yield pleasurable results. Cadherins mediate this learning by strengthening the synapses between brain cells, making their connections more concrete.

Dr Shernaz Bamji and her collaborators at the University of British Columbia engineered the brains of mice in the lab so that they would have more cadherins, and confidently predicted that they would be more susceptible to cocaine addiction, as their pleasure response learning would be greater.

Bamji was flummoxed, however, when her mice actually displayed fewer addictive behaviours. When given the choice between a room they had learned to associate with receiving cocaine and other rooms in a maze, they were indifferent to the cocaine associated room, compared with their average levelled cadherin counterparts, who repeatedly returned for more cocaine. It was the non-altered mice that became addicted, and not their genetically modified cohorts.

Taking a closer look at the brains of the engineered mice it turned out that the overload of glue had actually ‘jammed up’ the neural pathways, thus inhibiting the cell adhesion process, thus preventing the connections from being formed. As a result, these mice never learned to crave cocaine, even though they still experienced the high.

So what does this mean for humans? Is there any way these results can be applied? Well the intricacies of that translation still need some working out. The increase of cadherins may have the potential to inhibit addiction, but by the same token the potential to damage other learning behaviours. And genetically modifying human brains is clearly out of the question.

This said, the implications of the research are still exciting. They open up a target for further research and the possibility for future treatments, and possibly even preventative vaccines. Research continues.

City Addictions, April 14, 2017

RELATED CONTENT

Mephedrone ~ from legal high to Class B
Article

In making the drug illegal, the government only succeeded in compromising its quality and hiking up its price, making it not only more unaffordable, but more dangerous.

MORE
Cocaine in The City
Article

Powder cocaine has a stereotyped reputation as the ‘recreational’ drug of choice for rich high-flyers in pressured jobs, but recreation can quickly become a destructive dependency. What are the reasons for this, and how can problematic use be alleviated with treatment?

MORE
Ketamine and the threat of global prohibition
Article

Ketamine has been on the club scene for decades, although only quite recently are its debilitating long-term side effects coming to light. But it's also a life saver in developing countries where it serves as a cheap and available anaesthetic.

MORE
Relapse does not mean 'back to square one'
Article

Drugs, alcohol, exercise, sex, pornography, gambling....It seems anything pleasurable can become addictive, but how to draw the line between a harmless hobby and a problem? What elements of treatment are most important in helping tackle addictions?

MORE
Stuart: My gambling addiction
Video

Stuart Adams has a long history of addictive behaviour, particularly problem gambling. Now receiving counselling through GamCare he is attempting to turn his life around.

MORE
The controversy surrounding sex addiction
Article

While controversy over its definition – and even its very existence – continues to foment, sex addiction, all too often steeped in shame and guilt, is a very real problem that has a spectacular ability to destroy lives and relationships.

MORE