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May 19, 2016

Mechanism that reduces effect of cocaine on brain discovered

Posted by in categories: health, neuroscience

Very promising. Wonder how effective it is with Prescription Med. Addictions.


A type of brain cell known as microglia plays a key role in reducing the effects of cocaine in the brain, according to a major study by a team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) in Montreal.

The discovery, published in the journal Neuron, establishes for the first time that microglia can diminish the adverse changes to neural circuitry brought on by the chronic use of and has significant implications for developing an effective treatment for addiction.

Microglia may not be as well known as neurons, the that relay messages, but they have many important functions. They constantly monitor their environment, and can act to maintain normal functioning. When they find something amiss, they can produce molecules that instruct neurons to make adaptive changes to their connections. One such example is the inflammatory molecule known as (TNF).

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