Potential drug treatment for addiction

A new study, including work from researchers Claus Løland and Ph.D. student Jeppe Cederholm Nielsen from Copenhagen University, published in Nature, might lead to medicinal treatment for cocaine addiction and potentially broad addiction therapies. The study mapped how cocaine binds in the brain, affecting the dopamine system – a key factor in feelings of pleasure. Cocaine blocks the dopamine transporter, a protein that regulates dopamine levels by reabsorbing excess dopamine from the synapse back into neurons for reuse. This blockade causes overactivation of the reward system, reducing the number of dopamine receptors. Consequently, users become less sensitive to dopamine, impairing their ability to feel pleasure without the drug. While overall substance abuse is declining in Denmark, cocaine abuse is on the rise. Understanding the binding process of cocaine to the dopamine transporter could lead to the development of drugs that prevent cocaine from binding, thus negating its stimulating effects.