Washington : A drug approved for use in obese patients and type 2 diabetics may also help treat cocaine dependence, a new study has claimed, reports PTI.
The drug, Byetta, is derived from a naturally occurring hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, which regulates feeding behaviour. Knowing what they did about GLP-1, researchers from University of Pennsylvania in US turned to it as a possible treatment for cocaine addicts.
In a two-and-a-half year study of rats, researchers showed that when they activated GLP-1 receptors in the region of the brain that deals with reward behaviour, called the ventral tegmental area (VTA), the animals self-administered less cocaine. It is the first time such a role has been shown for GLP-1 in the brain, researchers said.
Physiologically, GLP-1 acts similarly in rat brains and human brains. Rather than injecting cocaine, researchers modelled the way a human would take the drug by offering the study rats a lever to press for intravenous infusions.