Gene changes linked to addiction

People can develop addiction to both drug and alcohol. This is a major public health problem in the U.S. About 1 in 10 Americans need treatment for drug or alcohol problems. Only 1 in 100 people get help. But, addiction is very strong, and many people relapse, or go back to drugs or alcohol even after getting treatment. We do not know a lot about why some people become addicted. Proteins linked to learning and memory of rewards may play a role. Researchers will look for a link between these gene changes and people who have addiction to drugs or alcohol. There are now some medications that can help with addiction but these are not effective for all drugs of abuse. In the lab, these drugs can block the learning involved in the reward pathway. This stops the drug-seeking behavior in animals. Researchers hope this study will help find something similar for humans.