MSGID: 1:317/3 627201c9   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Brain circuit responsible for cocaine withdrawal-induced anxiety and   
   relapse-related behavior    
    Research identifies a potential target for therapeutic interventions   
      
      
     Date:   
         May 3, 2022   
     Source:   
         University of California - Irvine   
     Summary:   
         New research finds that drug withdrawal-induced anxiety and   
         reinstatement of drug seeking behaviors are controlled by a single   
         pathway in the brain and centered around dopamine cells.   
      
      
      
   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   New research from the University of California, Irvine, finds that drug   
   withdrawal-induced anxiety and reinstatement of drug seeking behaviors   
   are controlled by a single pathway in the brain and centered around   
   dopamine cells.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   The study, "An extended amygdala-midbrain circuit controlling cocaine   
   withdrawal-induced anxiety and reinstatement," was published today in   
   Cell Reports.   
      
   Addiction occurs in phases: initial drug exposures are rewarding, repeated   
   administration leads to tolerance or sensitization to the drug's effects,   
   and withdrawal leads to anxiety and a negative affective state, which,   
   in turn, contribute to reinstatement of drug taking/seeking.   
      
   "In order to prevent relapse among drug users, specifically cocaine   
   users, we need to understand the factors in the brain that contribute   
   to drug seeking behaviors and the vulnerability to relapse," said   
   Kevin Beier, PhD, assistant professor of physiology and biophysics at   
   UCI School of Medicine. "In this study, we identified a brain circuit   
   that is responsible for drug withdrawal- induced anxiety as well as   
   relapse-related behavior, along with the identification of a potential   
   target for therapeutic interventions."  The negative affective state   
   induced by withdrawal from use of drugs of abuse is a critical factor   
   causing drug users to relapse.   
      
   "Both the drug withdrawal-induced anxiety and reinstatement of drug   
   seeking are controlled by a single pathway centered around dopamine cells   
   in the ventral midbrain," explained Beier. "That a single pathway controls   
   both sets of behavioral changes may help to explain many addiction-related   
   behavioral phenomena. Importantly, it links them both directly to   
   dopamine, which is more typically linked to reward-related behaviors."   
   Although midbrain dopamine circuits are central to motivated behaviors,   
   the knowledge of how experience modifies these circuits to facilitate   
   subsequent behavioral adaptations is limited. This study demonstrates   
   the selective role of a ventral tegmental area dopamine projection to   
   the amygdala for cocaine induced anxiety, but not cocaine reward or   
   sensitization. Silencing this projection prevents development of anxiety   
   during protracted withdrawal after cocaine use.   
      
   According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, there are   
   roughly 70,000 drug overdoses each year in the United States. In 2017,   
   nearly one in five drug overdose deaths was cocaine-related, with the   
   highest rate of cocaine-related overdoses and deaths occurring among   
   non-Hispanic black populations. Between 2012 and 2018, the rate of   
   cocaine-related overdose deaths increased from 1.4 to 4.5 percent. The   
   American Addiction Centers state recent drug relapse statistics show   
   that more than 85 percent of individuals relapse and return to drug use   
   within a year following treatment.   
      
   This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health,   
   Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program, American Parkinson Disease   
   Association, Alzheimer's Association, New Vision Research, and the Brain   
   and Behavior Research Foundation.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by   
   University_of_California_-_Irvine. Note: Content may be edited for style   
   and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Guilian Tian, May Hui, Desiree Macchia, Pieter Derdeyn, Alexandra   
      Rogers,   
         Elizabeth Hubbard, Chengfeng Liu, Jose J. Vasquez, Lara Taniguchi,   
         Katrina Bartas, Sean Carroll, Kevin T. Beier. An extended amygdala-   
         midbrain circuit controlling cocaine withdrawal-induced anxiety and   
         reinstatement. Cell Reports, 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110775   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220503190221.htm   
      
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