[Article] In heroin addiction, glial cells play key roles in regulating motivation for drug

You down with OPC? Thank you Dr. Douglas Fields for bringing glial cells to our attention. (author of The Other Brain) (there are a lot more of them than neurons in the brain)

Dietz and his colleagues decided to study the potential role of glial cells in addiction when they found that RNA sequencing of tissue from heroin-addicted animals revealed changes in genes that are traditionally markers for a type of glial stem cell called oligodendrocyte precursor cells or OPCs.

The result was surprising: when either of the two genes, SOX10 or BRG1, was overexpressed, the animals’ motivation to take the drug was reduced.

“To our surprise, it reduced their drug-taking behavior,” Dietz says. “It looks like the brain is trying to reconnect and possibly readapt myelin to normalize function, although that would need to be directly tested in future studies.”​

No problem, we just need a little viral gene therapy.

https://scienceblog.com/499257/hero...ls-play-key-roles-regulating-motivation-drug/

 

@Kenzi Not exactly the same but there is some involvement with opiate receptors right? They've used Naltrexone for sex and porn addiction?

In terms of practical stuff we can do now I suppose a diet with good fats to support myelin would be a good idea.

 

I'll have to learn about it more systematically. Not having the background and formal training I end up jumping around and the practical stuff is left wanting. Therapeutic massage apparently lowers cortisol, maybe even working on yourself with tools like a foam roller or a theracane.