Pubdate: Fri, 25 Nov 2005
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 The Vancouver Sun
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Darah Hansen
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)

UBC RESEARCHERS FIND A WAY TO BLOCK BRAIN-CELL SIGNALS THAT TRIGGER DRUG 
CRAVINGS

VANCOUVER - A team of researchers at the University of B.C. has found a way 
to block the communication between brain cells that triggers drug cravings, 
a finding that could lead to new therapies to treat addiction and relapse 
as well as behaviours associated with schizophrenia.

A $1.5-million grant from the NeuroScience Canada Brain Repair Program, a 
national umbrella organization for neuroscience research, enabled five 
scientists from across Canada to join their labs and fast-track their research.

Two of the members of the grant team led the work at the Brain Research 
Centre at UBC Hospital.

Senior UBC investigators Dr. Anthony Phillips and Dr. Yu Tian Wang have 
created a peptide -- protein fragment -- that in animal models can block 
specific chemical messengers that remember the body's response to stimulant 
drugs, such as amphetamines.

According to the research, when chemical communication is disrupted, the 
brain "forgets" the previous drug experience and cravings, or impulse to 
renew the drug sensation, are reduced or eliminated. Exchange of chemical 
messages within the brain is called synaptic function. The UBC research 
shows, for the first time, the mechanism of synaptic function related to 
memory. The findings are published in the Nov. 25 issue of Science.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom