Is Cocaine Desire Reduced by           <i>N</i>           -Acetylcysteine?

LaRowe, Steven D.; Myrick, Hugh; Hedden, Sarra L.; Mardikian, Pascale; Saladin, Michael E.; McRae, Aimee L.; Brady, Kathleen T.; Kalivas, Peter W.; Malcolm, Robert

doi:10.1176/ajp.2007.164.7.1115

Cited by 173 publications

(135 citation statements)

References 6 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

126

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…35 Results of this study showed that, based on cue-reactivity slides, NAC reduced the desire for and interest in cocaine, and also reduced the amount of time spent looking at the cocaine-related slides.…”

Section: Cocaine Addictionmentioning

confidence: 71%

N-acetylcysteine in psychiatry: current therapeutic evidence and potential mechanisms of action

Dean

Giorlando

Berk

2011

J Psychiatry Neurosci

411

314

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There is an expanding field of research investigating the benefits of alternatives to current pharmacological therapies in psychiatry. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is emerging as a useful agent in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Like many therapies, the clinical origins of NAC are far removed from its current use in psychiatry. Whereas the mechanisms of NAC are only beginning to be understood, it is likely that NAC is exerting benefits beyond being a precursor to the antioxidant, glutathione, modulating glutamatergic, neurotropic and inflammatory pathways. This review outlines the current literature regarding the use of NAC in disorders including addiction, compulsive and grooming disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. N-acetylcysteine has shown promising results in populations with these disorders, including those in whom treatment efficacy has previously been limited. The therapeutic potential of this acetylated amino acid is beginning to emerge in the field of psychiatric research.

show abstract

Section: Cocaine Addictionmentioning

confidence: 71%

N-acetylcysteine in psychiatry: current therapeutic evidence and potential mechanisms of action

Dean

Giorlando

Berk

2011

J Psychiatry Neurosci

411

314

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Preclinical evidence has indicated antioxidants to be promising in alcohol (Amanvermez and Agara, 2006), heroin (Zhou and Kalivas, 2007) and cocaine dependence (Baker et al, 2003). Pilot clinical trial data of NAC in cocaine dependence have been promising, suggesting that craving and withdrawal symptoms (LaRowe et al, 2006) as well as cue-evoked desire are reduced with the administration of NAC (LaRowe et al, 2007).…”

Section: Substance Abusementioning

confidence: 99%

Oxidative stress in psychiatric disorders: evidence base and therapeutic implications

Berk

Dean

et al. 2008

Int. J. Neuropsychopharm.

861

569

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diverse disease states, and may be a common pathogenic mechanism underlying many major psychiatric disorders, as the brain has comparatively greater vulnerability to oxidative damage. This review aims to examine the current evidence for the role of oxidative stress in psychiatric disorders, and its academic and clinical implications. A literature search was conducted using the Medline, Pubmed, PsycINFO, CINAHL PLUS, BIOSIS Previews, and Cochrane databases, with a time-frame extending to September 2007. The broadest data for oxidative stress mechanisms have been derived from studies conducted in schizophrenia, where evidence is available from different areas of oxidative research, including oxidative marker assays, psychopharmacology studies, and clinical trials of antioxidants. For bipolar disorder and depression, a solid foundation for oxidative stress hypotheses has been provided by biochemical, genetic, pharmacological, preclinical therapeutic studies and one clinical trial. Oxidative pathophysiology in anxiety disorders is strongly supported by animal models, and also by human biochemical data. Pilot studies have suggested efficacy of N-acetylcysteine in cocaine dependence, while early evidence is accumulating for oxidative mechanisms in autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. In conclusion, multi-dimensional data support the role of oxidative stress in diverse psychiatric disorders. These data not only suggest that oxidative mechanisms may form unifying common pathogenic pathways in psychiatric disorders, but also introduce new targets for the development of therapeutic interventions.

show abstract

“…Here, repeated administration of cocaine blunts cystine-glutamate exchange, leading to reduced basal and increased cocaine-induced glutamate in the nucleus accumbens that persists for at least 3 weeks after the last cocaine treatment (Baker et al, 2003). Most compelling is the observation that treatment with N-acetylcysteine, by activating cystine-glutamate exchange, prevented cocaineinduced escalation and behavioral sensitization, restored the ability to induce LTP and long-term depression in the nucleus accumbens, and blunted reinstatement in animals and conditioned reactivity to drug cues in humans (Moussawi et al, 2009;LaRowe et al, 2007;Madayag et al, 2007).…”

Section: Molecular Targets For Neuroplasticity: Binge/intoxication Wmentioning

confidence: 99%

Erratum: Neurocircuitry of Addiction

Koob¹,

Volkow²

2010

Neuropsychopharmacol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Drug addiction is a chronically relapsing disorder that has been characterized by (1) compulsion to seek and take the drug, (2) loss of control in limiting intake, and (3) emergence of a negative emotional state (eg, dysphoria, anxiety, irritability) reflecting a motivational withdrawal syndrome when access to the drug is prevented. Drug addiction has been conceptualized as a disorder that involves elements of both impulsivity and compulsivity that yield a composite addiction cycle composed of three stages: 'binge/intoxication', 'withdrawal/negative affect', and 'preoccupation/anticipation' (craving). Animal and human imaging studies have revealed discrete circuits that mediate the three stages of the addiction cycle with key elements of the ventral tegmental area and ventral striatum as a focal point for the binge/intoxication stage, a key role for the extended amygdala in the withdrawal/negative affect stage, and a key role in the preoccupation/anticipation stage for a widely distributed network involving the orbitofrontal cortex-dorsal striatum, prefrontal cortex, basolateral amygdala, hippocampus, and insula involved in craving and the cingulate gyrus, dorsolateral prefrontal, and inferior frontal cortices in disrupted inhibitory control. The transition to addiction involves neuroplasticity in all of these structures that may begin with changes in the mesolimbic dopamine system and a cascade of neuroadaptations from the ventral striatum to dorsal striatum and orbitofrontal cortex and eventually dysregulation of the prefrontal cortex, cingulate gyrus, and extended amygdala. The delineation of the neurocircuitry of the evolving stages of the addiction syndrome forms a heuristic basis for the search for the molecular, genetic, and neuropharmacological neuroadaptations that are key to vulnerability for developing and maintaining addiction.

show abstract

Is Cocaine Desire Reduced by N -Acetylcysteine?

Abstract: The inhibition of cocaine cue reactivity is consistent with existing preclinical data and supports the use of N-acetylcysteine as a treatment for cocaine dependence.

Cited by 173 publications

References 6 publications

N-acetylcysteine in psychiatry: current therapeutic evidence and potential mechanisms of action

N-acetylcysteine in psychiatry: current therapeutic evidence and potential mechanisms of action

Oxidative stress in psychiatric disorders: evidence base and therapeutic implications

Erratum: Neurocircuitry of Addiction

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About