Paul Slesinger<\/a>, assistant professor in the peptide biology laboratory at Salk, Christian L\u00fcscher of the University of Geneva, and colleagues studied two types of nerve cells in the brain?s reward center, one that transmits the neurotransmitter dopamine and another that transmits a neurotransmitter called GABA. Since dopamine works to inhibit euphoric sensations while GABA stimulates them, these nerve cells work in concert to control reward center activity.<\/p>\nThe researchers found that specific types of receptors on the GABA nerve cells in the reward center were targeted by GHB at low doses of the drug. At higher doses, the same drugs triggered receptors on the dopamine nerve cells, inhibiting the reward center and acting as anti-addiction chemicals. This dose-dependent activity stemmed from two types of ion channels, called GIRK, that responded to different doses of GHB. Low doses of GHB activated the more sensitive GIRK channels, which triggered the GABA nerve cell activity associated with euphoria. Higher doses activated the less-sensitive channels on dopamine cells and inhibited the euphoria-producing nerve cell activity.<\/p>\n
“Scientists have long been puzzled over how GHB can produce pleasure and euphoria, yet anti-addiction treatments produce opposite effects using the same drug acting on the same type of nerve cell receptor,” Slesinger said. “This study shows that key nerve cells of the reward center differ in their sensitivity to GHB. This information could be used to design anti-addiction drugs.”<\/p>\n
Slesinger and his team are now looking at how to selectively manipulate the receptors and channels to counteract addictive behavior, and at the cell signaling pathways that lead to addiction. They are also investigating other parts of the brain, where these receptors and channels may play a role in memory and other mental functions.<\/p>\n
The Human Science Frontier Project, Strasbourg, France, supported L\u00fcscher and Slesinger’s research.<\/p>\n
El Instituto Salk de Estudios Biol\u00f3gicos, ubicado en La Jolla, California, es una organizaci\u00f3n independiente sin fines de lucro dedicada a los descubrimientos fundamentales en las ciencias de la vida, la mejora de la salud y las condiciones de vida de las personas, y la formaci\u00f3n de las futuras generaciones de investigadores. El Dr. Jonas Salk fund\u00f3 el instituto en 1960 gracias a una donaci\u00f3n de terrenos por parte de la ciudad de San Diego y al apoyo financiero de la Fundaci\u00f3n March of Dimes para los Defectos Cong\u00e9nitos. <\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","faculty":[],"disease-research":[],"class_list":["post-2244","disclosure","type-disclosure","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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