Abstract

Neuroplasticity-Targeted Therapy Alleviates Severe Addiction

Author(s): Hamidreza Famitafreshi and Morteza Karimian

ABSTRACT
Background
Substance abuse is a dangerous behavior that in some addicts progress from recreational abuse to compulsive drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior. Meanwhile, there would be no evidence to predict this process. Recent studies suggest that following drug abuse some changes occur in the substructure of synapses such as changes in neurotransmitter secretion and their receptors.

Objective
This study is to bring evidence those changes in the substructure of the synapse is necessary for the emergence of uncontrollable addictive substance abuse. Also, proposed targeted treatment for such a problem. Data source: Literature search was conducted in almost all major
data indexing databases including Pubmed, Google Scholar and Web of Science. Inclusion criteria: The current study considered all articles with keywords of addiction with all types of neurotransmitters. Then the articles that had designed in such a way that signs of progression of substance use to dangerous abuse were selected.

Results
The result of this study showed that changes in the substructure of synapses such as changes in neurotransmitter release, the release of neurotransmitters in unusual regions and the emergence of unusual neurotransmitter receptors that called changes of neuroplasticity are necessary for the progression of substance abuse to a dangerous addiction. Also, some studies suggested that the application of targeted therapies for such problems is an effective treatment for the prevention of occurrence of a dangerous addiction.

Conclusion
It is concluded targeted therapies for reconstructing and reorganizing such a change not just for one type of neurotransmitter will be helpful for the treatment of addiction.