Did your water and sugar consumption also decrease?
But the dopamine pathway is widely involved in movement and motivation, so this type of therapy could influence other behaviors. In fact, the study authors found that the treated monkeys drank less water than their untreated counterparts , and they weren't as interested in a sugary solution either. They drank about 20% of the sugar solution, compared to untreated animals, which drank it all. They also lost about 18% of their body weight compared to animals in the control group, which was at least partly due to less alcohol consumption. These changes in dopamine-related behaviors are not necessarily desirable or positive. Robinson says any further studies should look for changes in mood , mindset , and overall activity levels .
There are already a handful of single-dose gene therapies approved for ce Phone Number List rtain rare cancers and genetic disorders, such as hemophilia B and spinal muscular atrophy. Others are in the works for sickle cell anemia and type 2 diabetes . The effects of each treatment are expected to last for years or even decades.
What are the risks of gene therapy?
But delivering gene therapy to the brain carries risks : bleeding , infections , severe immune reactions , and potentially cancer. These treatments can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, some of them millions, making them out of reach for anyone whose insurance doesn't cover them. And it's not yet clear whether they will last in the long term. Since the alcohol abuse study was stopped after one year, it is not known if the benefits will be permanent.
The lasting effects of gene therapy are a double-edged sword, according to Susan Ferguson, professor of psychiatry and director of the Institute on Addiction, Drugs and Alcohol at the University of Washington. "It's a one-time thing. You can give someone this therapy and they don't have to worry," she points out. But if it causes side effects, there is no way to inactivate it."
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There is no way back
And Ferguson says any type of drug should be used in conjunction with therapy or other strategies that address the psychological and behavioral aspects of alcohol abuse.
There are already other medical treatments on the market, all of which can be stopped if necessary. The drugs acamprosate and naltrexone also act on the brain. A third medication, disulfiram, works by preventing the body from processing alcohol and creating an unpleasant reaction to it.
A gene therapy for addiction also raises ethical questions. Unlike other gene therapies , this would involve rewiring the brain and possibly influencing a person's decisions and, potentially, their behavior. Without a way to remove or stop the therapy, would people still choose to undergo it?
Grant admits that would be an extreme form of treatment. But some people with alcohol use disorders are very sick and pose a danger to themselves or others. If the therapy goes on to be tested in humans, it will be limited to the most serious cases of addiction: "It would be a last resort if all other treatment options fail," he says.
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