Hope for Treatment of Cocaine Addiction Block Memories

Two separate discoveries by US researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) offer potential for development of a first-ever pharmacological treatment for cocaine addiction. In one study, a common beta blocker, propranolol, currently used to treat hypertension and anxiety, has shown to be effective in preventing the brain from retrieving memories associated with cocaine use in animal-addiction models, according to Devin Mueller, UWM assistant professor of psychology and a co-author with James Otis of the research.

This is the first time that a therapeutic treatment has been shown to block the retrieval of memories associated with drug addiction, a major reason many addicts experience relapse, says Mueller. Propranolol was chosen for the memory study because it has been used before to ease some withdrawal symptoms experienced recovering cocaine addicts. Those using the drug were able to continue exposure therapy for longer periods than those without the drug.

Along with the discovery of propranolol's cocaine-memory blocking effects, the researchers also have identified the primary players in the brain responsible for "extinction" learning -- the ability to replace cocaine-associated memories with associations that have no drug "reward."

Understanding the neural mechanisms for extinction learning can also point to a possible pharmacological target for treating drug addiction, says Mueller.

Cocaine is one of the worst drug addictions to kick, with about 80 percent of those trying to quit experiencing a relapse within six months.

Please visit Science Daily for the full story - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/101117161244.htm

Published by PCUG Addiction Treatment on 24/03/2020.