Substance use disorder (SUD) is a complex behavioral health condition that is difficult to treat. Fortunately, new research has shed light on possible future treatments.
Substance Use Could Be Reduced With Ketamine
Although nearly one of every five drug overdose deaths in the United States involves cocaine, the FDA has not approved a treatment for cocaine-use disorders. According to a study that used artificial intelligence (AI), human expertise, and clinical testing, ketamine could become the first such treatment option.
The study, published in the journal Addiction, specifically sought existing, previously approved medications that could be considered for treating cocaine abuse. Ketamine is already used in clinical settings as an anesthetic and for depression. The researchers used a new, AI-based drug discovery algorithm to identify potential treatments; addiction experts reviewed the most promising options.
Their analysis compared 7,742 cocaine use disorder patients who received anesthesia and 7,910 who also had depression. The patients who received ketamine for anesthesia had a significantly higher rate of cocaine use remission than those who received other anesthetics. Cocaine users with depression who were prescribed ketamine also showed a significantly higher remission rate compared with those who received other antidepressants.
Researchers Achieve Sustabce Abuse Breakthrough
As thousands of Americans lose their lives to substance-related fatalities, experts have been at a loss to explain fully how the brain processes addiction, withdrawal, and relapse. New research from the Texas A&M University Health Science Center could shed more light on the issue, after scientists have found a specific brain circuit that influences the neurological effects of substance abuse.
In previous studies, they found that specific neurons called direct pathway medium spiny neurons (dMSNs) affect drug-seeking behaviors. The new study looked at how opioid withdrawal changes the dMSN activity to trigger the negative mental states involved in relapse. They found that substance use enhances the activity of dMSNs in the brain’s striatum, a region that controls voluntary behaviors. When these dMSNs are inhibited, it could reduce withdrawal symptoms and anxiety.
This research has singled out a target for new substance use treatments. By influencing this mechanism in the brain, it could help alleviate negative emotional states and reduce the risk of relapse. The full study has been published in Cell Reports.
Psoriasis Treatment May Help Curb Alcoholism
Although alcohol abuse is a widespread concern, experts have found few effective treatments in recent years. In a new study, however, researchers have found evidence that apremilast (brand name Otezla) may help curb excessive and binge drinking. Apremilast is a pill used to treat psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and other inflammatory diseases. The medication is already approved for human use and has a “low incidence of adverse events” and an “excellent safety profile.”
Researchers first looked at the use of apremilast in lab mice that had a genetic risk for excessive drinking. The lab mice used. In the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the study authors write that use of the drug “reduced binge-like alcohol intake and behavioral measures of alcohol motivation in mouse models.” Researchers then conducted a human Phase IIa study among individuals with alcohol use disorder who were not otherwise seeking treatment. A daily dose of 90 mg of apremilast reduced excessive drinking in these study participants.
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