Effects Of Addictive Drugs On Brain Tracked In New Mount Sinai Research

Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 19 May 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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Mount Sinai researchers may have unlocked the key to better understanding the effect addictive drugs have on the human brain. Researchers have just published the new breakthrough study, "Design Logic of a Cannabinoid Receptor Signaling Network that Triggers Neurite Outgrowth," in the latest issue of Science.

"The research findings give us a new window into the brain, helping us to better understand the role addictive drugs have on the inner workings of brain cells ," said Ravi Iyengar Ph.D., study author and Dorothy H. and Lewis Rosenstiel Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "This type of research provides may clues for targets within brain cells against which drugs that block addiction may be targeted."

Mount Sinai researchers looked at the systems biology approach in order to study molecular networks underlying addiction. The findings start to unravel the complex interactions within brain cells, which are involved in processing signals from receptors in the brain that recognize the addictive drugs. Researchers discovered that a drug that works through the cannabinoid 1 receptor recognizing the active ingredient of marijuana activates many different transcription factors, triggering the differentiation of neurons, causing permanent changes in a person's brain. Another result of study was the discovery of a new role of the breast cancer gene BRCA 1 in neuronal differentiation and the effects of addictive drugs upon them.

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About The Mount Sinai Medical Center

The Mount Sinai Medical Center encompasses The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The Mount Sinai Hospital is one of the nation's oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. Founded in 1852, Mount Sinai today is a 1,171-bed tertiary-care teaching facility that is internationally acclaimed for excellence in clinical care. Last year, nearly 50,000 people were treated at Mount Sinai as inpatients, and there were nearly 450,000 outpatient visits to the Medical Center.

Mount Sinai School of Medicine is internationally recognized as a leader in groundbreaking clinical and basic-science research, as well as having an innovative approach to medical education. With a faculty of more than 3,400 in 38 clinical and basic science departments and centers, Mount Sinai ranks among the top 20 medical schools in receipt of National Institute of Health (NIH) grants.

Source: Mount Sinai Newsroom
The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine

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