2023-08-29 13:34:00
In an experiment on monkeys, a new gene therapy has shown promise in reducing the problem of alcohol addiction.
For people with a severe alcohol use disorder, a new gene therapy trial might lead to an efficacy that ensures chemical rebalancing of the brain region associated with addiction.
“With alcohol alone, there are generally more than 100,000 deaths[in the US]per year…so if this works in humans, It might change the rules of the game.” This is according to what was published by the specialized medical website, “Medical Express”.
In the new experiment, a team from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland tested a form of gene therapy used to treat Parkinson’s disease to reset dopamine reward pathways in monkeys following they voluntarily drank alcohol heavily. The scientists inserted a gene called glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) into the area of the brain where dopamine is located in four of the monkeys, through a type of brain surgery called a craniotomy. GDNF stimulates cell growth. Scientists discovered that the gene effectively resets the brain’s reward pathways in monkeys.
Compared to the control group, the monkeys who underwent this procedure decreased their alcohol consumption by more than 90%.
For further clarification, study co-author Dr. Kathleen Grant (published this month in the journal Nature), Professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at Harvard University, said, “There is a huge problem in treating alcohol use disorder; It is the return to drinking following abstinence; This is really what we wanted to address.” “It’s the first evidence in monkeys to show that this energetic increase in dopamine can actually reduce drinking levels to near zero,” she added. So, we conclude that this is probably a really viable goal.”
Grant noted that this treatment option would be reserved for particularly serious cases of alcoholism. This is an irreversible treatment. Therefore, it would only be appropriate in severe cases that have already shown that other treatment modalities are ineffective in the case of chronic addiction.”
In this context, one study showed that alcohol-related deaths are the fourth preventable cause of death in the United States.
For its part, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites serious problems with the heart, liver, blood, digestive system, increased risk of several types of cancer, weakened immune system, learning and memory problems, mental health problems, social problems and other issues behind alcohol addiction.
Grant hopes that, following more rounds of testing, her team’s study will eventually lead to a new and effective treatment for severe alcoholism and possibly other addictions. Noting that, however, “we want to be very careful regarding overestimating or generalizing regarding other addictions. It must be carefully studied.”
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