Key to Cocaine Addiction May Lead to Treatment
In tests with mice, researchers can track epigenetic processes triggered by chronic use

THURSDAY, Jan. 7 (HealthDay News) -- A key mechanism in the brain that helps explain how people become addicted to cocaine has been identified by U.S. government scientists, who say their finding could lead to the development of new treatments for drug addiction.


In experiments with mice, the team at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) showed how cocaine affects an epigenetic process called histone methylation. An epigenetic process is a process that influences gene expression without changing a gene's sequence.

These epigenetic changes in the brain's pleasure circuits likely add to an acquired desire for cocaine, according to the study published in the January issue of Science....

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