UBC RESEARCHERS FIND A WAY TO BLOCK BRAIN-CELL SIGNALS THAT TRIGGER DRUG
CRAVINGS

VANCOUVER - A team of researchers at the University of B.C. has found a way
to block the communication between brain cells that triggers drug cravings,
a finding that could lead to new therapies to treat addiction and relapse
as well as behaviours associated with schizophrenia.

A $1.5-million grant from the NeuroScience Canada Brain Repair Program, a
national umbrella organization for neuroscience research, enabled five
scientists from across Canada to join their labs and fast-track their research.

Two of the members of the grant team led the work at the Brain Research
Centre at UBC Hospital.

Senior UBC investigators Dr. Anthony Phillips and Dr. Yu Tian Wang have
created a peptide -- protein fragment -- that in animal models can block
specific chemical messengers that remember the body's response to stimulant
drugs, such as amphetamines.

According to the research, when chemical communication is disrupted, the
brain "forgets" the previous drug experience and cravings, or impulse to
renew the drug sensation, are reduced or eliminated. Exchange of chemical
messages within the brain is called synaptic function. The UBC research
shows, for the first time, the mechanism of synaptic function related to
memory. The findings are published in the Nov. 25 issue of Science.