Technology

Scientists propose to treat alcoholism using laser stimulation of the brain

Anyone who has abused alcohol at least onceor cigarettes, knows that it is sometimes extremely difficult to get rid of these kinds of addictions. Unfortunately, the desire for harmful substances while you can not just turn off the touch of a button, but the researchers from the medical center of Scripps Research are a little closer to creating such a device. They found that by acting with a laser on a certain part of the brain, one could tame the desire to drink alcohol and even eliminate shivering. The technology really works, and this has been proven in an experiment with alcohol-dependent rats.

According to Professor Olivier George, they found inthe mouse brain has a defined population of neurons that are activated during the cessation of alcohol. The site is located quite deeply, so to get to it, the researchers had to introduce fiber optics into the head of the rat. Turning on the laser, they were able to significantly reduce his craving for alcohol.

It is noteworthy that the impact is not onlyled to the weakening of addiction, but also reduced the shivering that occurs when alcohol is abandoned. Unfortunately, when the laser was turned off, the desire to drink returned to the rats again.

It is believed that the new discovery will allow you to createnew drugs for alcoholism, or even a method of treatment at the gene level. Moreover, in the future, scientists may well create a brain implant to control addiction. Unfortunately, its creation requires technologies that are not yet allowed for use in humans, so that the output of such devices will have to wait at least 15-30 years. But researchers can develop drugs that affect a certain group of neurons - if funding is available, they can come out in 10-15 years.

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