Reducing dopamine in brain may curb alcohol addiction

Reducing dopamine levels in the brain can lessen the desire to drink alcohol, according to a new study by Swedish scientists.

The drug would be able to reduce an addict’s desire to drink but it won’t necessarily stop them from drinking less alcohol, the study found (Photo: Creative Commons)

As reported by Tech Times, scientists from the Sahlgrenska Academy and the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have been working on an experimental drug that would normalise dopamine levels in an alcoholic’s brain.

According to the study, conducted on both humans and rats, the drug would be able to reduce an addict’s desire to drink but it won’t necessarily stop them from drinking less alcohol.

In the human trial, participants were asked not to drink alcohol for a week, during which time some were given a placebo while others received a dose of dopamine stabiliser OSU6162.

Over the next two weeks, participants were allowed to drink as much as they liked. On the 15th day of experiment, each participant was given a glass of their favourite alcoholic drink.

The study found that those who were given the dopamine stabiliser didn’t enjoy their first sip, while those who were given the placebo did. Participants who had taken OSU6162 also reported a reduced craving for alcohol.

In the second trial rats were given alcohol to drink over a long period of time. They were then given a dose of OSU6162, which reduced the dopamine levels in the reward system in their brains. The scientists have yet to establish whether the same thing happens in humans.

“The results of our studies are promising, but there is still a long way to go before we have a marketable drug,” Dr. Pia Steensland, co-author of both studies told Tech Times.