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A group of American researchers have studied the neurochemical basis of addiction using a newly developed technology that allows them to control the activity of specific populations of brain cells, or neurons, using light.
The technology, called optogenetics, helped Wake Forest Baptist Centre researchers address critical questions regarding the role of dopamine in alcohol drinking-related behaviours.
"With this technique, we’ve basically taken control of specific populations of dopamine cells, using light to make them respond – almost like flipping a light switch," said lead author Evgeny A. Budygin, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurobiology and anatomy at Wake Forest. "These data provide us with concrete direction about what kind of patterns of dopamine cell activation might be most effective to target alcohol drinking."
According to the researchers, one of the biggest challenges in neuroscience has been to control the activity of brain cells in the same way that the brain actually controls them. Through optogenetics, scientists can turn off and on neurons in order to identify which neurons govern certain behaviours.
The concept of optogenetics was derived from the understanding of how tiny green algae, that give pond scum its distinctive colour, detect and use light to grow. For the current study, the researchers used cutting-edge molecular techniques to express a light-responsive protein in a specific population of dopamine cells in the reward centre of the brain, using rodent models.
"You can place an electrode in the brain and apply an electrical current to mimic the way brain cells get excited, but when you do that you’re activating all the cells in that area," explained Jeffrey L. Weiner, Ph.D., professor of physiology and pharmacology, co-author of the study."With optogenetics, we were able to selectively control a specific population of dopamine cells in a part of the brain-reward system. Using this technique, we discovered distinct patterns of dopamine cell activation that seemed to be able to disrupt the alcohol-drinking behaviour of the rats."
“It gives us better insight into how we might want to use something like deep-brain stimulation to treat alcoholism.” he said. This, according to Budygin, was impossible before the optogenetic era.
Their findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioural Neuroscience.
Source of this article:
Researchers Study Alcohol Addiction Using Optogenetics
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