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Will never stop providing the best content related to addiction andnd life substance abuse treatment in a magazine. It is my commitment and the entire Nirvana Counselor CA Magazine team to always provide the latest and most substantive content on the local and international alth ahealth scene because we believe our readers deserve the best. he In this issue, let's follow how NIH scientists style identify a new brain mechanism involved in impulsive cocaine-seeking in rats as well as Dian Hample the fact that U.S. opioid prescriptions are declining. It is well noting that senators seek Editor-in-Chief help for seniors struggling with opioid use. Happy reading! NIRVANA MAGAZINE

NIH scientists identify new brain mechanism involved in impulsive cocaine-seeking in rats Researchers have found that blocking certain acetylcholine receptors in the lateral habenula (LHb), an area of the brain that balances reward and aversion, made it harder to resist seeking cocaine in a rat model of impulsive behavior. These findings identify a new role for these receptors that may represent a future target for the development of treatments for cocaine use disorder. There are currently no approved medications to treat cocaine use disorder. Discovery may represent a future target for treating substance use disorders Published in the Journal of Neuroscience, the study was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health. In 2020, over 41,000 people died from drug overdoses involving stimulants, including cocaine and methamphetamine. Developing safe and effective medications that help treat addictions to cocaine and other stimulants is critical to expand the choices offered to people seeking treatment and to help sustain recovery. Rats were trained to self-administer cocaine, where a lever press led to an injection of the drug. Building on previous work that established the importance of the LHb and acetylcholine receptor signaling in impulsive cocaine-seeking, this study further defines the cellular mechanisms through which LHb neurons regulate this behavior. Researchers used a behavioral paradigm called the Go/NoGo model in rats. In this model, rats were trained to self- administer cocaine, where a lever press led to an injection of the drug. This was followed by specific training in the Go/NoGo task where cocaine was available when the lights were on (Go), but not when the lights were off (NoGo). Animals quickly learned to stop responding when cocaine was not available. Increasing LHb M2R function may represent a potential target for treating impulsive drug seeking and substance use disorders The researchers also studied the cellular mechanisms by which M2Rs alter LHb neuronal activity by measuring changes in the electrical activity of these neurons in response to acetylcholine-like drugs. Although these drugs reduced both excitatory and inhibitory inputs onto LHb neurons, there was a net increase in inhibition, which may account for acetylcholine’s ability to limit impulsive cocaine seeking.

U.S. Opioid Prescriptions Are Declining “We find that from 2012 to 2019 there were declines in opioid prescribing for The United States has an opioid epidemic, individuals with chronic non-cancer pain but there's one bright spot in the fight against and individuals with cancer without it: Prescriptions for these addictive drugs corresponding increases in receipt of non- have declined for patients with private opioid therapies,\" authors Sachini insurance. Bandara and Emma McGinty of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Amid guidelines over the past decade from Health in Baltimore, and Dr. Mark Bicket governments, health systems and insurers of the University of Michigan, wrote. aimed at reducing opioid prescriptions, previous studies have pointed to a nationwide Between 2012 and 2019, the percentage drop in prescribing rates. of people who were prescribed an opioid for cancer-related pain dropped from 86% Patients who are actively receiving cancer to 78.7%, the study found. Those who treatments are excluded from those limits. received opioid prescriptions for other The new study included cancer patients as types of pain dropped from 49.7% to well as people with other chronic pain. It 30.5%. found that overall prescribing rates still dropped. While rates of non-opioid pain medication were steady for people with For those who still received opioids, non-cancer pain, researchers found they fewer people received extremely high rose for cancer patients from 74.4% to doses or more than a one-week supply, 78.8%. the researchers reported.

PAGE 5 SENATORS SEEK HELP FOR SENIORS STRUGGLING WITH OPIOID USE Senators from Maine and Maryland have proposed legislation they said would support older residents who are addicted to opioids. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland said Wednesday More than 10% of drug overdose they've introduced a bill to address deaths in Maine were among residents age 60 and older last year, challenges that Medicare Collins said. The senators' proposal would require the Centers for beneficiaries face when seeking Medicare and Medicaid Services to conduct outreach to beneficiaries to treatment for addiction. Collins said improve their awareness of treatment for opioid use disorder, the toll of the opioid epidemic on they said. older adults is an underappreciated The proposal would also provide the Substance Abuse and Mental Health aspect of the crisis. Services Administration with important data, such as figures about the number of Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with the disorder, the senators said.

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