Posted on 09/05/2015 3:11:58 PM PDT by UnwashedPeasant
Blocking D1 receptors in brain blocks alcohol cravings: study.
Scientists say a cure for alcoholism could be on the horizon thanks to the remarkable discovery of neurons in the brain that play a role in whether one glass of wine turns into a bottle. Texas A&M researchers explain the part of your brain known as the dorsomedial striatum contains neurons with spiny protrusions, each with two types of dopamine receptors. One type, called D1, encourages action but is structurally altered when large amounts of alcohol are consumed. The alteration causes the neurons to activate with less stimulation and the result is a vicious circle: Drinking alcohol causes easier activation and activation tells your brain to keep drinking. "If these neurons are excited, you will want to drink alcohol," lead author Jun Wang explains in a release. "You'll have a craving."
The study in the Journal of Neuroscience explains mice brains exposed to booze had more mature protrusions in D1 neurons compared to brains that weren't exposed to the stuff. Mice with more mature protrusions—where long-term memories are stored—downed large amounts of alcohol when given the chance. However, when the mice were given a drug to block the D1 receptor, cravings diminished. "This is the major finding," says Wang. "D1 receptors are essential for alcohol consumption" and "if we suppress this activity, we're able to suppress alcohol consumption." Wang adds his "ultimate goal is to understand how the addicted brain works … and once we do, one day, we'll be able to suppress the craving for another round of drinks and ultimately, stop the cycle of alcoholism." (Get to know history's most high-functioning alcoholics.)
Aw crap. There goes AA.
While there is no question abstinence is the only way to beat an addiction, taking a drug could be a useful bridge towards that goal.
They were just beginning to turn their bottles around.
BTTT
I nominate Speaker Boehner as the First Human Trial Subject.
Quitter.
“It’s not a simple matter of not doing it, because the discomfort of abstention is just too great for some.”
Discomfort? You mean like the stinging agony of diabetic pain? Or, like, shit I wish I had a drink. Please. Discomfort is not a symptom of a disease that can lead to a diagnosis. If left untreated, it will not advance beyond discomfort. There is no relationship to any facet of disease found in any addiction. If you wanted to be pychiatrically precise, you might POSSIBLY make a case for it being a symptom of a compulsive personality disorder. By your logic, rapists have a disease because the discomfort of not violently abusing someone is too great.
You are categorically wrong. There is no such thing as “disease of alcoholism.” There are lots of drunks though.
“Aw crap. There goes AA.”
Nah. People are always gonna need to be towed.
If you have no sympathy for alcoholics and think it is all a joke, how about a little sympathy for the people who live in the same society as alcoholics. This discover would help them too.
True,Ihonestly don’tknow ifI wouldwanttodrink”normally”ifgiven theoption.
Yes. After years and years of drinking I finally got the wet cloud out of my head (in '98) and I don't want it back.
“While there is no question abstinence is the only way to beat an addiction, taking a drug could be a useful bridge towards that goal.”
The history of such methods is uneven.
“Dr. it hurts when I do this!”
“Don’t do that.”
Yeah. It is that simple.
You speak like a child.
It DOESN'T hurt when addicts drink.
Mockery is rarely intelligence.
But how will you make a “2” appear as a “10” around closing time?
“Will it help the Injuns?”
Hope so. I didn’t get the gene(?)...but had several uncles,and cousins
with major problems...(some of them had it(Injun) from two sides of the family... most of them overcame.
Just “normal” Scot-Irish-German-French-Injun “Mericuns” .
( ; )Now I have wonderful Hispanic GRANDchildren...the other Grandfather is part Indio...(and one of their Surname died Defending the Alamo...( ; )... we have to watch and train the future...I pray to Jehovah God this is something to help.
“For some, it’s not a craving for the drink but a desire to be free from the noise in their heads. Alcohol deadens that.”
Have had tinnitus in both ears since 1969, but I still have 21 years and 7 months sober as of today.
In my own case I was selfish, self-centered, very highly addicted physical, mentally and spiritually to the substance called alcohol.
Thanks to loving family, a professional interventionist, and AA, I stopped cold turkey, and have no regrets.
What you call “noise in their heads” I suggest may be pangs of guilt for their selfishness, withdrawal pains, self-induced temporary mental illness, to name a few.
Nothing works with everybody. If, for some, taking a drug to mitigate the effects of not being able to drink and normalizing sobriety helps, they should.
For some alcoholics, not drinking can be stressful enough to kill them. Not everybody can quit because they want to.
“Mockery is rarely intelligence.”
A. You have no idea who you are talking to.
Given that, making a decision on which of us is more knowledgeble is quite irrationally.
B. Spitting out an old myth is not intelligent. It is
the indication of an uneducated and disinterested curiosity.
C. You have said nothing to disprove or discredit any of my remarks.
I’ll let oyu think through all of that.
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