Drug and alcohol dependence
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Jun 2012
Review Meta AnalysisEthnic-specific meta-analyses of association between the OPRM1 A118G polymorphism and alcohol dependence among Asians and Caucasians.
Many studies have investigated the association between the OPRM1 A118G polymorphism (rs1799971) and alcohol dependence, but the results were inconsistent. To better understand this relationship, ethnicity-specific meta-analyses were conducted. ⋯ The OPRM1 A118G polymorphism may contribute to the susceptibility of alcohol dependence in Asians but not in Caucasians.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Jun 2012
ReviewCommon and specific liability to addiction: approaches to association studies of opioid addiction.
Opioid addiction, whether to opiates such as heroin and morphine, and/or to non-medical use of opioids, is a major problem worldwide. Although drug-induced and environmental factors are essential for the liability to develop opioid addiction, the genetic background of an individual is now known also to play a substantial role. ⋯ In spite of the inherent difficulties in obtaining large well-phenotyped cohorts for genetic studies, new findings have been reported that are being used to develop testable hypotheses into the biological basis of opioid addiction.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · May 2010
ReviewOpioid pharmaceuticals and addiction: the issues, and research directions seeking solutions.
There are few pharmaceuticals superior to opiates for the treatment of pain. However, with concerns of addiction, withdrawal and questionable efficacy for all types of pain, these compounds are far from a magical panacea for pain-relief. As it is unlikely that other classes of compounds will supersede the opioids in the very near future, it is important to both optimize current opioid therapies and curb the astounding diversion of opioids from their intended analgesic use to non-medical abuse. ⋯ At the heart of the issue of opioid misuse is the role of opioid systems in the reward circuitry, and the adaptive processes associated with repetitive opioid use that manifest during withdrawal. Emerging pharmacological insights of opioid receptors will be reviewed that provide future hope for developing opioid-based analgesics with reduced addictive properties and perhaps, reduced opponent processes. In addition, with the increased understanding of nociceptive circuitry and the molecules involved in transmitting pain, new therapeutic targets have become evident that may result in effective analgesics either alone or in combination with current opioid therapies.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · May 2010
ReviewThe endogenous opioid system: a common substrate in drug addiction.
Drug addiction is a chronic brain disorder leading to complex adaptive changes within the brain reward circuits that involve several neurotransmitters. One of the neurochemical systems that plays a pivotal role in different aspects of addiction is the endogenous opioid system (EOS). ⋯ Chronic exposure to the different prototypical drugs of abuse, including opioids, alcohol, nicotine, psychostimulants and cannabinoids has been reported to produce significant alterations within the EOS, which seem to play an important role in the development of the addictive process. In this review, we will describe the adaptive changes produced by different drugs of abuse on the EOS, and the current knowledge about the contribution of each component of this neurobiological system to their addictive properties.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · May 2010
ReviewOPRM1 SNP (A118G): involvement in disease development, treatment response, and animal models.
Endogenous opioids acting at mu-opioid receptors mediate many biological functions. Pharmacological intervention at these receptors has greatly aided in the treatment of acute and chronic pain, in addition to other uses. However, the development of tolerance and dependence has made it difficult to adequately prescribe these therapeutics. ⋯ In this manuscript, we will review a number of association studies as well as investigations of the functional impact of this gene variant. In addition, we will describe a novel mouse model that was generated to recapitulate this SNP in mice. Evaluation of models that incorporate known human genetic variants into a tractable system, like the mouse, will facilitate the understanding of discrete contributions of SNPs to human disease.