Addiction Research at Brookhaven
History: In 1987, Brookhaven National Laboratory became the first
research institution to use positron emission tomography (PET) and other
medical imaging techniques to investigate the brain mechanisms underlying
drug addiction.
Addiction Research Press Releases
 Addiction Treatment Proves Successful in Animal Weight Loss Study - 8/20/2008
Vigabatrin, a medication proposed as a potential treatment for drug addiction by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, also leads to rapid weight loss and reduced food intake according to a new animal study from the same research group.
 Brookhaven Scientists Explore Brain's Reaction to Potent Hallucinogen - 4/28/2008
Brain-imaging studies performed in animals at Brookhaven National Laboratory provide researchers with clues about why an increasingly popular recreational drug that causes hallucinations and motor-function impairment in humans is abused.
 Gene Therapy Reduces Cocaine Use in Rats - 4/16/2008
Researchers at Brookhaven Lab have shown that increasing the brain level of receptors for dopamine, a pleasure-related chemical, can reduce use of cocaine by 75 percent in rats trained to self-administer it. Earlier research by this team had similar findings for alcohol intake.
 Cocaine's Effects on Brain Metabolism May Contribute to Abuse - 2/18/2008
Many studies on cocaine addiction have focused on dopamine transporters, proteins that reabsorb the brain's "reward" chemical once its signal is sent. Since cocaine blocks dopamine transporters from doing their recycling job, it leaves the feel-good chemical around to keep sending the pleasure signal. Now a new study conducted at Brookhaven Lab suggests that cocaine's effects go beyond the dopamine system.
 Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners Begins Enrollment for its U.S. Phase II Clinical Trial of CPP-109 in Patients With Cocaine Addiction - 1/25/2008
Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. announced today that it has initiated enrollment of patients for its 180-patient, U.S. Phase II clinical trial evaluating the use of CPP-109 in treating patients with cocaine addiction. CPP-109, an orally administered, small molecule drug which inhibits psychostimulant-induced dopamine release, is Catalyst's lead compound, vigabatrin.
Overweight People May Not Know When They've Had Enough - 1/9/2008
Researchers at Brookhaven have found new clues to why some people overeat and gain weight while others don't. Examining how the human brain responds to "satiety" messages delivered when the stomach is in various stages of fullness, the scientists have identified brain circuits that motivate the desire to overeat.
Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners Announces Positive Phase II Trial Results for Vigabatrin in the Treatment of Cocaine Addiction - 12/7/2007
Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. (Nasdaq: CPRX), a biopharmaceutical company that acquires, in-licenses, develops and commercializes prescription drugs for the treatment of drug addiction, today announced positive initial top-line results from an investigator-initiated Phase II double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, which demonstrates that vigabatrin is effective for the treatment of cocaine addiction. Catalyst's lead compound, CPP-109, is bioequivalent to vigabatrin.
 Cocaine Abuse Blunts Sensitivity to Monetary Reward - 11/7/2007
New measurements of brain activity in individuals addicted to cocaine confirm that addicted individuals have compromised sensitivity to monetary rewards.
 D-Cycloserine Reduces Cocaine-Seeking Behavior in "Addicted" Mice - 11/6/2007
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory provide further evidence that a drug known as D-cycloserine could play a role in helping to extinguish the craving behaviors associated with drug addiction.
 Food Restriction Increases Dopamine Receptor Levels in Obese Rats - 10/25/2007
A brain-imaging study of genetically obese rats conducted at Brookhaven provides more evidence that dopamine - a brain chemical associated with reward, pleasure, movement, and motivation - plays a role in obesity. Scientists found that genetically obese rats had lower levels of dopamine D2 receptors than lean rats. They also demonstrated that restricting food intake can increase the number of D2 receptors, partially attenuating a normal decline associated with aging.
 ADHD Appears to Be Associated With Depressed Dopamine Activity in the Brain - 8/6/2007
Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show a blunted response to the drug methylphenidate (Ritalin), which increases brain dopamine levels. This suggests that dopamine dysfunction may be involved with ADHD symptoms and may contribute to substance abuse that often occurs simultaneously.
Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. Initiates U.S. Phase II Clinical Trial of CPP-109 in Patients With Cocaine Dependence - 7/10/2007
Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company that acquires or in-licenses, develops and commercializes prescription drugs for the treatment of drug addiction, today announced that it has initiated its randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled U.S. Phase II clinical trial of CPP-109 in patients with cocaine dependence. CPP-109, an orally administered, small molecule drug which inhibits psychostimulant-induced dopamine release, is Catalyst's lead compound, vig
Does Stimulant Treatment for ADHD Increase Risk of Drug Abuse? - 6/18/2007
Parents, doctors, and others have wondered whether common treatments for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) inadvertently predispose adolescents to future drug abuse. The answer may depend on the age at which treatment is started and how long it lasts, say the authors of a new brain-imaging and behavioral study conducted in animals at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
 Brookhaven Lab Chemist to Discuss 'Imaging Drug Addiction' at Harborfields Public Library, June 28 - 5/25/2007
David Schlyer, a chemist at Brookhaven Lab, will give a talk titled "Imaging Drug Addiction" on Thursday, June 28, at 7:30 p.m. at Harborfields Public Library. Sponsored by the Science Club of Long Island, the talk is free and open to the public.
 Brookhaven Lab Scientist to Speak at Harborfields Public Library on Brain Chemistry and Compulsive Overeating, March 21 - 2/21/2007
Gene-Jack Wang, Chair of the Medical Department at Brookhaven National Laboratory, will give a talk titled "The Brain Chemistry-Compulsive Overeating Connection" at Harborfields Public Library in Greenlawn, Long Island, on Wednesday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m. Sponsored by the Science Club of Long Island, the talk is free and open to the public.
Addiction and the Brain: Are We Hard-Wired to Abuse Drugs? - 2/12/2007
At the 2007 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a panel of world-renowned neuroscientists will present recent advances in brain-imaging that have revolutionized our understanding of addiction as a chronic disease. The addiction symposium is sponsored by Brookhaven National Laboratory, and will be preceded by a AAAS news briefing highlighting key speakers and findings.
High Dopamine Transporter Levels Not Correlated with ADHD - 11/29/2006
Results from a brain-imaging study conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory in collaboration with Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York indicate that levels of a brain protein proposed as a diagnostic marker for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are not positively correlated with the disease. In fact, the study found lower levels of these "dopamine transporter" proteins in certain brain regions of ADHD patients compared with controls.
Altered Perception of Reward in Human Cocaine Addiction - 10/15/2006
People addicted to cocaine have an impaired ability to perceive rewards and exercise control due to disruptions in the brain's reward and control circuits, according to a series of brain-mapping studies and neuropsychological tests conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory.
 Study Offers New Clues to Brain-Stomach Interaction in Overeating - 10/2/2006
Researchers at Brookhaven have found new clues to how the brain and the stomach interact with emotions to cause overeating and obesity. By looking at how the human brain responds to "fullness" messages sent to the brain, the scientists have identified brain circuits that motivate the desire to overeat in the obese - the same circuits that cause addicted individuals to crave drugs.
 Developing Radiotracers for Imaging Studies in Addiction - 9/14/2006
Molecular imaging using positron emission tomography continues to provide new knowledge about how brain circuits are altered by addictive drugs. Brookhaven chemist Joanna Fowler will give a talk on these radiotracers at the 232nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Francisco, California, at 8:25 a.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, September 14, 2006, in Room 270 of the Moscone Convention Center.
Study Offers Clues to Brain's Protective Mechanisms Against Alcoholism - 9/4/2006
Why do some people with a strong family history of alcoholism develop alcohol dependency while others do not? A new study provides clues that differing brain chemistry may provide part of the answer. Researchers have found that elevated levels of D2 receptors for dopamine may provide a protective effect for those most at risk for developing alcoholism.
Study Reveals Biochemical Signature of Cocaine Craving in Humans - 6/13/2006
Ask anyone who has been addicted to drugs and they'll tell you that the mere sight of someone using their drug of choice (or even people, places, or objects associated with drug use) can trigger an intense desire for the drug. Using sophisticated brain-imaging techniques at Brookhaven National Laboratory, scientists from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Brookhaven Lab, and the University of Pennsylvania have uncovered the brain chemistry that underlies such "cue-induced" craving in cocaine
Study Examines Role of Cannabinoid Receptors in Alcohol Abuse - 9/7/2005
A new set of experiments in mice confirms that a brain receptor associated with the reinforcing effects of marijuana also helps to stimulate the rewarding and pleasurable effects of alcohol. The research confirms a genetic basis for susceptibility to alcohol abuse and also suggests that drugs designed to block these receptors could be useful in treatment.
Two Studies Offer Clues About How Alcoholic Behavior is "Switched" On - 5/9/2005
As part of an ongoing effort to understand the biochemical basis of alcohol abuse, scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory have published two studies on how modulating receptors for dopamine, chemical "signaler" in the brain's reward circuits, affects drinking behavior in mice and rats.
Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners Says FDA Has Accepted IND Application for CPP-109 to Treat Cocaine Addiction - 1/3/2005
Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has allowed its Investigational New Drug Application to evaluate Catalyst's lead compound, CPP-109, as a potential pharmaceutical therapy for treating cocaine addiction. Catalyst received an exclusive worldwide license from Brookhaven Science Associates, operator of Brookhaven National Laboratory, for the use of the drug gamma vigabatrin or GVG for its application in treating drug addiction.
Proposed Addiction Treatment Successful, Safe in Second Small Trial - 11/15/2004
A second, small-scale clinical trial of a proposed addiction treatment originally investigated at Brookhaven National Laboratory has produced favorable results in the treatment of long-term addiction to methamphetamine and/or cocaine, with no visual side effects in any of the 30 patients enrolled.
 New Study Shows Hope for Treating Inhalant Abuse - 9/30/2004
A new study by scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory suggests that vigabatrin may block the addictive effects of toluene, a substance found in household products commonly used as inhalants. These results broaden the promise of GVG as a potential treatment for a variety of addictions.
 Gene Therapy Reduces Drinking in Rats with Genetic Predisposition to "Alcoholism" - 5/5/2004
As a follow up to previous work showing that gene therapy can reduce drinking in rats trained to prefer alcohol, scientists at Brookhaven have used the same technique to cut drinking in rats with a genetic predisposition for heavy alcohol consumption.
Exposure to Food Increases Brain Metabolism - 4/19/2004
Brookhaven scientists have new evidence that brain circuits involved in drug addiction are also activated by the desire for food. The mere display of food causes increases in metabolism throughout the brain.
Results From First Clinical Trial Using GVG to Treat Addiction - 9/22/2003
This is the first human clinical data showing that gamma vinyl-GABA (GVG, vigabatrin) holds promise as a pharmacological treatment for cocaine addiction.
Releases Prior to September, 2003
Imaging Study Reveals Effect of Smoking on Peripheral Organs
- 9/8/2003
Researchers at Brookhaven, who previously found reduced levels
of the enzyme monoamine oxidase B (MAO B) in the brains of
smokers, now provide compelling evidence that MAO in peripheral
organs is also affected by smoking.
Addicts' Brains Work Harder to Control Behavior - 12/3/2002
A brain-imaging study conducted at the U.S. Department of
Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory reveals that recently
abstinent methamphetamine abusers who reported they avoided
harmful situations had higher resting metabolic rates in a part
of the brain responsible for making decisions and modifying
behaviors than those with low harm-avoidance scores. In
non-addicted, comparison subjects, there was no significant
association between harm avoidance and metabolism in this brain
region.
New Tool for Studying Animal Models of Neurological and
Psychiatric Diseases - 11/5/2002
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven
National Laboratory have demonstrated that a miniature positron
emission tomography (PET) scanner, known as microPET, and the
chemical markers used in traditional PET scanning are sensitive
enough to pick up subtle differences in neurochemistry between
known genetic variants of mice.
More Clues About Obesity Revealed by Brain-Imaging Study -
6/20/2002
The idea that obese people eat too much because they find food
more palatable than lean people do has gained support from a new
brain-imaging study at the U.S. Department of Energy’s
Brookhaven National Laboratory. The study reveals that the parts
of the brain responsible for sensation in the mouth, lips, and
tongue are more active in obese people than in normal-weight
control subjects.
New Food-Addiction Link Found - 5/20/2002
Scientists at Brookhaven have found that the mere display of
food — where food-deprived subjects are allowed to smell and
taste their favorite foods without actually eating them — causes
a significant elevation in brain dopamine, a neurotransmitter
associated with feelings of pleasure and reward. This activation
of the brain’s dopamine motivation circuits is distinct from the
role the brain chemical plays when people actually eat, and may
be similar to what addicts experience when craving drugs.
Brain-Imaging Study Offers Clues to Inhalant Abuse -
4/15/2002
Inhalant abuse, also known as “huffing,” is a rapidly growing
health problem, particularly among young people. However, little
is known about how inhaled chemicals affect the brain and body.
Now, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven
National Laboratory — inspired by schoolchildren who wanted to
know more about huffing — have produced the first-ever images
showing what parts of the brain and body are most affected by
toluene, a commonly inhaled solvent.
Study Reveals Differences in Patients’ Response to Ritalin
-
3/1/2002
A new brain-imaging study offers insight into why individual
patients respond differently to standard doses of Ritalin, a
drug used to treat millions of children with Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) each year. The study, conducted at
the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory,
appears in the March 1, 2002 issue of the journal Synapse.
Methamphetamine mechanism may knock out brain’s ability to “just
say no” - 12/1/2001
A new brain-imaging study at Brookhaven reveals that, compared
with people who don’t use drugs, people who abuse
methamphetamine have fewer receptors for dopamine, a brain
chemical associated with feelings of reward and pleasure.
Brain Shows Ability to Recover From Some Methamphetamine Damage
- 12/1/2001
A new brain-imaging study at Brookhaven indicates that some of
the damage caused by methamphetamine – a drug abused by
ever-increasing numbers of Americans — can be reversed by
prolonged abstinence from the drug. The results appear in the
December 1, 2001 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.
Therapeutic Drug Blocks Nicotine’s Effects on Brain Chemistry
- 11/8/2001
Nicotine is widely believed to trigger dependence by elevating
certain brain chemicals associated with pleasure and reward.
Now, a study in rats at Brookhaven National Laboratory shows
that topiramate — a new anticonvulsant drug currently used for
the treatment of epilepsy — can block some of the
nicotine-triggered changes in brain.
Gene Therapy Reduces Drinking in "Alcoholic" Rats - 9/5/2001
Brookhaven scientists have shown that increasing the level of a
brain protein important for transmitting pleasure signals can
turn rats that prefer alcohol into light drinkers. The findings
may have implications for the prevention and treatment of
alcoholism in humans.
Proposed Addiction Treatment Blocks Environment-Triggered
Craving - 3/7/2001
Anecdotal reports suggest that addicts crave drugs when they
visit places where they've routinely used drugs. Now, a new
study conducted at Brookhaven shows that, in animals, such
environmental cues trigger measurable increases in dopamine, a
brain chemical closely linked with addiction. More importantly,
lab scientists demonstrate that a therapeutic agent they've been
studying as a potential treatment for addiction completely
blocks this environmentally triggered increase in dopamine.
Researchers Document Brain Damage, Reduction in Motor and
Cognitive Function from Methamphetamine Abuse - 3/1/2001
Two studies by researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory
provide evidence for the first time that abuse of
methamphetamine - the drug commonly known as "speed" -- is
associated with physiological changes in two systems of the
human brain. The changes are evident even for abusers who have
not taken the drug for a year or more. The studies also found
that methamphetamine abusers have reduced cognitive and motor
functions, even at one year after quitting the drug.
Scientists Find Link Between Dopamine and Obesity - 2/1/2001
Dopamine, a brain chemical associated with addiction to cocaine,
alcohol, and other drugs, may also play an important role in
obesity. According to a study by scientists at Brookhaven
National Laboratory, obese people have fewer receptors for
dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps produce feelings of
satisfaction and pleasure. The findings imply that obese people
may eat more to try to stimulate the dopamine "pleasure"
circuits in their brains, just as addicts do by taking drugs.
Study Shows How Ritalin Works - 1/15/2001
New research on Ritalin, a drug prescribed to millions of
American children each year with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD), shows for the first time how the drug acts in
the human brain and why it is so effective. This latest study,
on humans, indicates that Ritalin significantly increases levels
of dopamine in the brain, thereby stimulating attention and
motivational circuits that enhance one's ability to focus and
complete tasks.
Brookhaven Lab Awards License to David Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for
Potential Addiction Treatment - 9/9/1999
Brookhaven National Laboratory has licensed to David
Pharmaceuticals, Inc., of Burlingame, California, the use of the
drug vigabatrin for its potential application in treating
addiction. Vigabatrin, a drug used to treat epilepsy outside the
U.S., may prove to be a highly effective pharmaceutical
treatment for cocaine addiction.
Brookhaven Lab and SUNY Stony Brook Researchers Find Chemical
Clues to Drug Abuse Vulnerability - 9/1/1999
Why do some people who experiment with drugs become addicted,
while others do not? Researchers at the U.S. Department of
Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and the State University
of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook made significant progress in
answering that question in a study to be published in the
September 1 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Mapping the Root of Cocaine Addiction: Suprising Findings on
Drug's Effect in Brain Regions - 1/1/1999
The part of the brain that is abnormal in some people with
obsessive-compulsive disorder may also play a key role in
craving and abuse of cocaine. And, drug craving is associated
more with the right side of the brain than the left.
Epilepsy Drug Stops Nicotine's Effects in Animals -
12/2/1998
Smokers who want to kick the habit may find powerful help from a
European epilepsy drug that already has shown promise in
treating cocaine's effects in animals, U.S. Secretary of Energy
Bill Richardson announced today.
Study Shows Pill Form of Ritalin Is Safe and Non-Addictive for
Kids - 9/29/1998
New research on Ritalin, a drug prescribed to millions of
American children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD), indicates that it is safe if taken in pill form for that
therapeutic purpose.
Epilepsy Drug Found to Stop Cocaine's Effects in Animals -
8/5/1998
An inexpensive epilepsy drug may prove to be a highly effective
pharmaceutical treatment for cocaine addiction. In addition,
preliminary data suggests that it may be useful for the
treatment of other addictions.
Why Do Addicts Crave Cocaine? New Brain Scan Study May Show
Reason - 2/9/1998
In a discovery that strikes at the very heart of cocaine
addiction, scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's
Brookhaven National Laboratory may have found a clue to why
addicts crave the drug so strongly and use it repeatedly.
Why Do People Smoke? Research at Brookhaven Lab Looks Beyond
Nicotine - 2/21/1996
Nicotine may not be the only tobacco smoke ingredient that hooks
smokers into addiction. In the first report of a distinct
biochemical effect triggered in the brain by cigarette smoke,
Brookhaven scientists have found that smokers have a greatly
reduced level of a crucial brain enzyme.
Last Modified: January 31, 2008
|
