You can check cocaine relapse by removing triggers

Washington, Aug. 4: Cocaine relapse can now be significantly reduced with the help of brainderived neurotrophic factor ( BDNF).

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina ( MUSC) found that Cocaine relapse was significantly reduced in a preclinical model when BDNF is applied to the nucleus accumbens deep in the brain immediately before the cocaine- seeking behaviour.

“We discovered that a very common protein in the brain has an additional significant role in addiction relapse,” said a lead researcher Ana- Clara Bobadilla.

The nucleus accumbens is a tiny cluster of nerve cells deep in the brain. Although small, this region plays a critical role in reward- seeking behaviors. It signals from other parts of the brain to drive reward- motivated behaviors.

The researchers found that BDNF has both a time- and location- dependent beneficial role when administered before a cueinduced relapse event. In the preclinical model of cocaine addiction, rats were allowed to selfadminister cocaine while hearing an auditory cue. The rats learned to associate the cue with the reward of cocaine and continue to self- administer when hearing the cue. In the extinction phase, the rats were not allowed cocaine or the cue associated with the drug.

In the last phase, called reinstatement, the rats seek out cocaine upon hearing the cue previously associated with cocaine administration. The drugseeking behavior that the rats display is similar to how drug cues induce craving in humans and thus are likely to relapse.