The proteins that drive drug addiction

Each year, one in every 17 people between the ages of 15 and 64 will use a recreational drug at least once. Worldwide, this works out at almost 300 million people. Around 40 million of these people are affected by substance-use disorders, where occasional use has evolved into a much more serious habit.

These conditions are characterised by patterns of behaviour that see people taking a drug, increasing the dosage and then continuing to take the drug despite adverse effects to their health, wellness and lifestyle. In many cases when people try to break these habits, their cravings worsen over time and lead to almost inevitable relapses.

There are many reasons why people might start using drugs and a whole host of factors that play a role in their susceptibility to addiction. But one intense field of research is attempting to unravel whether chemical changes that take place in the brain after someone takes a drug could explain why they will then go on to prioritise seeking out that drug, even if it comes at a heavy price to their own health and wellbeing. The hope is that understanding the roles of certain genes and proteins in particular cell types can aid the development of therapeutics that reduce cravings, potentially offering new ways to treat addiction.