Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine are trying to discover and understand why people become addicted to alcohol and other drugs. Why do people become addicted to it? Heijung Won, PhD director and researcher at the UNC School of Medicine, understands the underlying genetic variation. So scientists can develop treatments that will help millions of people struggling with addiction.

A study published in the journal Molecular found that both addiction and relapse depend on genetics. How addicted you are to drinking, and how much you are not, depends on what kind of jeans you have. So if you’re having trouble quitting drugs, it could be because of your genes.

You know what was published in the study regarding this?

Vonn, an assistant professor of genetics and researcher at the UNC Neuroscience Center, and his team discovered genes linked to drinking and cigarette smoking. In which scientists discovered that certain types of neurons – brain cells with a large amount of such genes – cause other cells to send chemical messages to the brain.

According to Vonn, “research has shown that, in addition to factors such as family dynamics or personal trauma, genetics can also play a role in addiction.”

of psychiatry, also found that smoking-related genes are associated with the sensation of pain. In this case, the use of other drugs such as morphine was also associated with other genes associated with alcohol use. The researchers also evaluated publicly available pharmacological databases to find potential new treatments for substance abuse.

then what to do in such a situation

“Antipsychotics and other mood stabilizers may be able to provide therapeutic treatment for people struggling with substance abuse,” says Nancy C., a graduate student in the Vaughan lab and first author of the paper. Including many prevalent diseases and problems, including lung cancer, liver and substance abuse disorders.

“Our research has shown that genes associated with problems associated with other substances, such as cocaine, cigarette smoking and alcohol use, can also influence an individual’s expression,” he says.

Vonn’s team also discovered cell types other than the different types of excitatory neurons. Such as cortical glutamatergic, midbrain dopaminergic, GABAergic and serotonergic neurons that are associated with risk genes. More research is needed on them. To help people who want to break free from any type of addiction.