Scientists Can Now Block Opiate Addictions In The Brain

Ozzy Bon Halen · Aug 15, 2012

Scientists can now block heroin, morphine addiction

Concept art by Joshua Burton, School of Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide.
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Dr Mark Hutchinson, ARC Research Fellow, School of Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide.
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Wednesday, 15 August 2012
In a major breakthrough, an international team of scientists has proven that addiction to morphine and heroin can be blocked, while at the same time increasing pain relief.
The team from the University of Adelaide and University of Colorado has discovered the key mechanism in the body's immune system that amplifies addiction to opioid drugs.
Laboratory studies have shown that the drug (+)-naloxone will selectively block the immune-addiction response.
The results - which could eventually lead to new co-formulated drugs that assist patients with severe pain, as well as helping heroin users to kick the habit - will be published tomorrow in the Journal of Neuroscience.
"Our studies have shown conclusively that we can block addiction via the immune system of the brain, without targeting the brain's wiring," says the lead author of the study, Dr Mark Hutchinson, ARC Research Fellow in the University of Adelaide's School of Medical Sciences.
"Both the central nervous system and the immune system play important roles in creating addiction, but our studies have shown we only need to block the immune response in the brain to prevent cravings for opioid drugs."
The team has focused its research efforts on the immune receptor known as Toll-Like receptor 4 (TLR4).
"Opioid drugs such as morphine and heroin bind to TLR4 in a similar way to the normal immune response to bacteria. The problem is that TLR4 then acts as an amplifier for addiction," Dr Hutchinson says.
"The drug (+)-naloxone automatically shuts down the addiction. It shuts down the need to take opioids, it cuts out behaviours associated with addiction, and the neurochemistry in the brain changes - dopamine, which is the chemical important for providing that sense of 'reward' from the drug, is no longer produced."
Senior author Professor Linda Watkins, from the Center for Neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder, says: "This work fundamentally changes what we understand about opioids, reward and addiction. We've suspected for some years that TLR4 may be the key to blocking opioid addiction, but now we have the proof.
"The drug that we've used to block addiction, (+)-naloxone, is a non-opioid mirror image drug that was created by Dr Kenner Rice in the 1970s. We believe this will prove extremely useful as a co-formulated drug with morphine, so that patients who require relief for severe pain will not become addicted but still receive pain relief . This has the potential to lead to major advances in patient and palliative care," Professor Watkins says.
The researchers say clinical trials may be possible within the next 18 months.
This study has been funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in the United States and the Australian Research Council (ARC).

http://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news55261.html

Mrs. White · Aug 15, 2012

THAT is awesome!

Sam Crow · Aug 16, 2012

Why would you want to do that ?

tricknologist · Aug 15, 2012

Sam Crow said: ↑

Why would you want to do that ?

Most of the people I've known that are addicted to opiates were hooked by a doctor rather than a drug dealers, a way for people to use them without addiction would certainly be useful.

Mrs. White · Aug 16, 2012

Sam Crow said: ↑

Why would you want to do that ?

Opiate addiction is the scourge of our society. Go to any half way house our drug treatment center in MA. 99% are heroin addicts, who started their journey with pain medication, mostly gotten illegally on the street. Most of these men/women are under the age of 25, ( and mostly white ) this is a whole generation of our kids who's lives have been destroyed, and most never truly stay clean and sober.

Mandalore · Aug 18, 2012

tricknologist said: ↑

Most of the people I've known that are addicted to opiates were hooked by a doctor rather than a drug dealers,.

Ditto here. 90% of the dopeheads I know in the program got into heroin because they couldn't afford to keep up with their doctor-approved painkiller habits. Oxy sells for about $1 per milligram here. Dope is WAY less, and the shit around Jersey these days is some fucking fire.

Clancy · Aug 18, 2012

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Scientists Can Now Block Opiate Addictions In The Brain

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