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Cocaine Deaths Linked To Genetic Mutation?

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cocaine addiction and genetics

Genetics and Cocaine: A Deadly Combination

New research has found that death from cocaine overdose can be linked to several complex genetic mutations interacting with cocaine. Researchers at Ohio State University identified seven mutations in two genes found in dopamine, which affects flow and signaling in the brain. Statistical analysis showed that one in every three white people who died from cocaine overdose carried a mutation that made the effects of cocaine extra deadly.  Wolfgang Sadee, professor of pharmacology and director of the Program in Pharmacogenomics, was the lead researcher in making this new discovery.

The brain releases dopamine during pleasurable activities and then reabsorbs it. Cocaine use blocks the reabsorption (and thus increases pleasure briefly) but after the brain figures out that the reuptake receptors have been blocked, it decreases the amount of dopamine produced. Eventually a cocaine addict will no longer be able to attain the expected euphoria and this may lead to stopping cocaine use.  People who have these mutations will continue to have dopamine produced at the same levels despite duration of cocaine use, which can lead to death.

Further research may lead to screening for these mutations in drug rehab centers to help understand the science behind cocaine addiction specifically. It may also help researchers find more effective medications for dual diagnosis disorders that are dopamine influenced. Sadee concluded that these types of genetic mutations “may push this whole system in the direction that makes disease more likely or influences individual response to circumstances like stress or drugs.”


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