Is Drug Addiction Genetic?
Do you ever wonder why some people aren’t easily addicted to drugs? How they can experiment but never get addicted, or their addiction is easily broken? Is there more to the association of parents causing their children’s drug use besides early exposure?
Korea Brain Research Institute has found that dopamine D2 receptors (DRD2s) in cholinergic interneurons (ChINs) play a crucial role in cocaine addiction.
In the study, addiction-susceptible mice demonstrated an increased level of DRD2 expression and a reduced level of cell activation. This affects the activation and synaptic plasticity of downstream neurons, causing susceptibility to drug addiction.
In other words, drugs of abuse increase the dopamine concentration in the brain and activate dopamine receptors, which results in intense craving for drugs. The DRD2 expression in genetics could explain why some individuals are more susceptible to drugs than others. Watch this video to learn more:
This can be enlightening and relieving for individuals caught in addiction, no matter if they are more susceptible or not. It can empower them to fight against the pitfalls of addiction by seeking the appropriate measures of help. Some may need more help than others, and thanks to this study, we now know that’s not a sign of weakness, but genetic predisposition.
As an employer, you can be the first handhold to an employee struggling with addiction. That often starts with admitting an addiction is present.
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