CYNICS HEALTH INFO

Archive for the ‘Morphin Addiction’ Category

Relate the addiction to morphine with the trend persevering to explore
The research, published in Behavioral Brain Research, is of great value to plan preventive strategies in the population at risk.

The trend to drug use depends on each individual. Not all the people who have access to a drug become addicted to it, so they can exist personality characteristics that predispose to its consumption. One of these characteristics is the search for sensations, of novelties, own of the people that they like search the risk of steadily. Although there are studies that suggest the relationship between these people and a greater chance of reaching become addicted, buyers compulsive or pathological, has not been able to establish until now a direct relationship in an objective, and that out the effect of other psychological factors such as the anxiety.

A team of researchers at the Institute of Neurosciences, of the Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of the Health Sciences and the Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, led by teachers Roser Nadal and Antonio Wardrobe, has determined scientifically, through experiments with rats, that addiction to morphine is related to the trend to explore and to find new sensations persevering. In experiments with mazes, scientists have observed that the animals that have a tendency to explore persevering are more prone to addiction to morphine.

The researchers had previously classified the rodents depending on whether had a tendency to explore repeatedly a new situation (explorers persevering) or if they stopped show interest in this situation in a short time. For this purpose the stood in a hallway circular in which had not been never and watched their behavior. Only those animals persevering who maintained a state of exploration deal with this new atmosphere had preference for the administration of morphine. In fact, it is the first time that has been able to observe the relationship between addiction and the trend to explore, without which appear characteristics such as anxiety, which could determine a certain predisposition to addiction.

The experimental research in the field of addictions is carried out on many occasions in mice, rats or mice. Even so, “the animal model used is very reliable and allows obtain results rigorous and, to some extent, be transposed to the people, without having to experiment with them directly,” says Roser Nadal.

As for the application in humans, this research, published in the journal Behavioral Brain Research, can help focus the preventive strategies in the field of addiction in those with more risk, according to their characters of personality. “The results can be especially useful in prevention campaigns for children and adolescents, who are the stages of maximum risk,” explains Dr. Nadal.

To determine whether a rat has more or less addicted to morphine, researchers have used the technique of conditioning of the preference for a place. In these tests are used a special cage with two compartments differ among themselves, by the color, touch or smell. In a compartment is situated to the animal after having injected the morphine and, during a time, it is left to the rat experience the effects of this drug while the associated with the special characteristics of that compartment of the cage. Another day is injected a placebo (the fluid that has been used to dissolve the drug, such as water with salt), and is located to the animal during a time in the other compartment different from the cage. After repeating these actions during several days is left free to the rat and notes which of the two compartments prefers. The more you like drugs, more time remains the animal in the compartment that has related to its effects, which is an indicator of their addiction.

The research group of the UAB is part of a state network of research on addictive disorders of the Fund on Health Research (FIS), the Network of basic aspects, clinical and epidemiological of addiction, with 22 groups seconded from various disciplines.