The use of cocaine can change how genes function in the brain. Researchers came across this finding by performing a study on mice. This study showed that “chronic cocaine addiction kept a specific enzyme from doing its job of shutting off other genes in the pleasure circuits of the brain, making the mice crave the drug even more,” states Reuters.
This new information could potentially lead the way to better treatments for drug addiction. Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, reports that, “This finding is opening up our understanding about how repeated drug use modifies in long-lasting ways the function of neurons.” This new study also further explains how genes are turned on and off in the brain after using cocaine for a long amount of time, and may help in answering why people continue to be addicted to a drug even after they stop using.
If you or someone you know has a drug problem, find help near you.
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