Research Offers Hope for Alcoholics

(December 13, 2006) -- Australian scientists have found a system in the brain that stops the craving for alcohol and prevents relapse after one recovers from the addiction.

Researchers at Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute say a group of cells in the brain's hypothalamus produce Orexin, which is involved in producing the "high" felt after drinking alcohol or taking illicit drugs.

In studies conducted with rats, Dr. Andrew Lawrence and colleagues used a drug that blocked Orexin's euphoric effects in the brain and the results were described as remarkable.

"In one experiment, rats that had alcohol freely available to them stopped drinking it after receiving the Orexin blocker." Lawrence said. "In another experiment, rats that had gone through a detox program and were then given the Orexin blocking drug, did not relapse into alcohol addiction when they were reintroduced to an environment in which they had been conditioned to associate with alcohol use."

According to the World Health Organization, alcohol is one of the most widely used and abused substances in the world and causes as much, if not more, death and disability as measles, malaria, tobacco or illegal drugs.

SOURCE: United Press International

Last updated: 12/06

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