Trigger of Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms Identified

[JV]

Trigger of Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms Identified

Wed Feb 2, 5:29 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Researchers have identified a protein called GAT-1 that appears to play a key role in the withdrawal symptoms experienced by people who stop using heroin and other "opioid" drugs, such as morphine and codeine. As such, GAT-1 could serve as a target for drugs designed to prevent withdrawal symptoms.

Using various lab techniques, Dr. Elena E. Bagley and colleagues, from the University of Sydney in Australia, showed that opioid withdrawal causes a small electrochemical current to form in nerve cells. Further analysis revealed that GAT-1 regulated this current.

The researchers' findings appear in the scientific journal Neuron.

Blocking GAT-1 with certain drugs prevented the overstimulation of nerve cells that normally occurs during opioid withdrawal, the investigators report.

Anti-GAT-1 drugs are already being used to treat epilepsy, the authors note, and may prove useful opioid withdrawal as well.

source

 

[DexterMeth]

very interesting. Hope this hits major markets, and as a success, sooner than later.

 

[armadilliO]

I wonder if they'd help with tolerance :D

 

[-=ReD-hAzE=-]

Very cool.

 

[zekethemusicman]

I thought morphine and codiene were the only two OPIATES that anyone wanted? Most of the others that people get addicted to are opioids, not opiats.

 

[thursday]

opiate and opioid are synonymous. maybe you are thinking of synthetic and non-synthetic opiates/opioids.

 

[toolazy2think]

if you want to be technical then synthetic opiates are called opiods, with the natural ones called opiates, but realistically it's interchangable.

 

[ebeneezer_geeza]

synthetic or not it would should still work as opiates/opoids act on similar neurotransmitters which would be alleviated by this antiGAT thing

 

[EudoXia]

opiate and opioid are synonymous. maybe you are thinking of synthetic and non-synthetic opiates/opioids.

Opiate and Opiod are not synonymous. Opiates come from organic sources (poppy). Opiods come from synthetic manufacturing sources.

 

[thursday]

the terms are used interexchangably. do a google search on "endogenous opioids" and "endogenous opiates" and see how many results you get for each.

 

[EudoXia]

the terms are used interexchangably. do a google search on "endogenous opioids" and "endogenous opiates" and see how many results you get for each.

I'm just speaking pharmacologicaly

 

[thursday]

so am i.