maybe i should have stayed with pharmacology...
here's a popular press article on the paper our lab just published. basically, we've found that varenicline, an FDA approved drug used to help reduce cravings in smoking addicts, also reduced ethanol consumption in rats who were trained to drink pretty heavily. not too surprising since dependence on both nicotine and alcohol involve the same reward circuits in the brain.
of course, rat brains =/= human brains and complex environmental cues + social/psychological behaviors =/= laboratory settings + forced behavioral paradigms--but still, the results are super exciting! especially since something like 85% of adults who abuse alcohol also smoke. the best part about it is that varenicline is already being used by people so that'll make the transition from preclinical --> clinical much smoother.
here's the paper!
of course, rat brains =/= human brains and complex environmental cues + social/psychological behaviors =/= laboratory settings + forced behavioral paradigms--but still, the results are super exciting! especially since something like 85% of adults who abuse alcohol also smoke. the best part about it is that varenicline is already being used by people so that'll make the transition from preclinical --> clinical much smoother.
here's the paper!