Researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has recently identified which brain circuit is involved in a drug use relapse when effective behavioral treatments for drug addiction (contingency management) have been discontinued.
Changes Necessary for Contingency Management
Contingency management treatment uses rewards like prizes, popular retail coupons, or gift cards to encourage teens in the program to remain drug-free. However, about half of those individuals will relapse when they stop receiving any alternative reward. Scientists believe that users who began abusing drugs before their brain finished developing, around their mid-20s – have a higher occurrence of relapse after treatment.
Finding New Treatment Paths
Researchers used a model where rats would voluntarily abstain from giving themselves drugs when provided with food rewards. In this study, the rats chose to abstain from meth or heroin when an alternative, non-drug reward was available. The rats would relapse, however, when the alternative reward was removed. Researchers used chemogenetic manipulations, electron microscopy, and other techniques to identify the anterior insular cortex-to-central amygdala nerve path as critical in the relapse process.
These findings have helped provide better insights into the brain mechanisms behind relapse after successful contingency management treatment. With these results, we have been able to identify a potential target for relapse prevention using brain stimulation methods.
How This Could Help Teens (and the US)
Although drug use among teenagers has declined in the past few years, there are still children suffering and the trend has not gone away completely. This discovery could possibly lead to a way to inspire drug users to stay sober after rehab, preventing teens from growing into addicted adults. Besides cutting down on relapses and preventing lifelong addiction, alternative reward methods could also diminish the homeless population, create more positive jobs, reduce crime rates in certain areas, and help halt the dangerous free flow of opioids on the street.
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