Drunken rats kick the habit
16 June 2008
Alcoholism ruins lives. Now scientists have shown that an injection can put rats off alcohol in a matter of minutes. Could this offer a simple solution to alcohol addiction? Antenna investigates...
This research was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
This research was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Alcohol addiction is a big problem in the UK.
Image: Rob Bouwman/Dreamstime
Scientists at the University of California are studying what happens in the brains of rats when they drink alcohol. In their latest research, they injected rats with a protein called GDNF and monitored the effect on their thirst for alcohol.
More than a million people in the UK are estimated to be alcohol dependent.
Alcohol-related illness costs the NHS 270 million pounds each year - and can cause serious damage to both physical and mental health.
Alcohol-related illness costs the NHS 270 million pounds each year - and can cause serious damage to both physical and mental health.
People's brains behave in a similar way to rodents' brains, which helps scientists understand addiction.
How do scientists get rats to drink alcohol?
The rodents were trained to pour themselves a wine-strength beverage by pulling a lever with their paws. Like humans, some of the rats drank sensibly, while others were binge drinkers.
'It's amazing that rats show the same desire to drink alcohol as people - some rats even prefer alcohol to water!' says researcher Sebastien Carnicella from the University of California.
Lab rats initially have to be persuaded to drink alcohol, but they quickly develop a taste for it.
Image: Paco Ayala/Fotolia
What did they find?
Once injected with GDNF most rats lost interest within ten minutes in pulling the lever to grab a drink. Reduced lust for the liquid was the same amongst heavy and light drinkers.
What happened to the rats' brains?
Scientists injected GDNF into the region of the brain that's involved in reward and addiction. It isn't known exactly how GDNF works, but it probably influences levels of a chemical called dopamine in the brain.
Dopamine is a chemical associated with pleasure and addiction.
Image: iStockphoto/Shannon Varis
So what's next?
'We don't yet know exactly how GDNF works - we're looking at that at the moment' says researcher Dorit Ron.
Dorit Ron, alcohol addiction expert, University of California, San Francisco.
Image: Dorit Ron
What do other experts think?
'I'm impressed by the study but I think the prospect of a human treatment is still rather distant. This is a useful addition to our knowledge rather than a major breakthrough' says Dai Stephens, drug addiction expert from the University of Sussex, Brighton.