Mutant mice show new pathway in drug addiction

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2008

PARIS (AFP) — Scientists experimenting with genetically-modified mice said on Wednesday they had unveiled a molecular pathway that helps explain drug addiction and appetite.

The discovery focuses on the chemical process by which people become substance-dependent, according to the study, published by the British journal Nature.

Pleasure-giving drugs such as cocaine and heroine -- as well as food -- work by boosting levels of a messenger chemical called dopamine that stimulates the brain's "reward" centre.

But dopamine itself is only one part of a molecular cascade that leads to dependence.

Researchers led by Jean-Antoine Girault of the Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris looked at a brain protein called DARPP-32 which helps the dopamine...