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I found this article about curing addictions in a Canadian newspaper. If these scientists are on the right track, their work could help people all around the world.
"Western University scientists say they’ve made a discovery that could some day stem the scourge of opiate addiction in Canada by “essentially switching an addicted brain back to a non-addicted brain.”
A team from the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry has identified the molecular pathway in the brain that’s switched on during addiction and controls the memories of euphoria that can send people back to drug use.
That raises the possibility someday of blocking the pathway and the memories, and, as a result, preventing relapses.
“This is an important step forward,” research team leader Steven Laviolette said.
“Addiction is obviously a huge social issue. It’s a very important issue that touches most of our lives in one way or another. Reversing the effects of what opiates do to the brain that lead to this compulsive addiction behaviour . . . that is the ultimate target of these experiments.”
Researchers are increasingly viewing addiction as a learning or memory disorder, Laviolette said in an interview.
“One of the biggest problems preventing someone addicted to opiates from successfully breaking the habit is the problem of relapse. Someone addicted to opiates will often encounter some stimulus in their environment that triggers these memories that have been associated with the euphoric effects of opiates, be it heroin or prescription narcotics.”
"Western University scientists say they’ve made a discovery that could some day stem the scourge of opiate addiction in Canada by “essentially switching an addicted brain back to a non-addicted brain.”
A team from the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry has identified the molecular pathway in the brain that’s switched on during addiction and controls the memories of euphoria that can send people back to drug use.
That raises the possibility someday of blocking the pathway and the memories, and, as a result, preventing relapses.
“This is an important step forward,” research team leader Steven Laviolette said.
“Addiction is obviously a huge social issue. It’s a very important issue that touches most of our lives in one way or another. Reversing the effects of what opiates do to the brain that lead to this compulsive addiction behaviour . . . that is the ultimate target of these experiments.”
Researchers are increasingly viewing addiction as a learning or memory disorder, Laviolette said in an interview.
“One of the biggest problems preventing someone addicted to opiates from successfully breaking the habit is the problem of relapse. Someone addicted to opiates will often encounter some stimulus in their environment that triggers these memories that have been associated with the euphoric effects of opiates, be it heroin or prescription narcotics.”