Heroin addiction breakthrough
15/5/08
Melbourner researchers believe they have identified a part of the brain that contributes directly to the development of heroin addiction. If they are right, researchers think it will be a major development in the treatment of drug addictions. Scientists from the Howard Florey Institute specifically bred mice without the adenosine A2A receptor, which plays a major role in the brain’s reward pathway. Professor Andrew Lawrence and his team found that without the receptor, mice had a reduced desire to self-administer morphine - heroin is converted to morphine in the body.
See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23701463-26103,00.html