Publications by authors named "Pearl N Cummins-Beebee"
Genes Brain Behav
February 2024
Article Synopsis
- Tolerance to a substance requires increasing amounts of it over time to achieve the same effects, but the mechanisms behind this process are not fully understood.
- Researchers are using Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) to study tolerance, as they share genetic similarities with humans that are relevant to alcohol responses and disorders.
- The study reveals an inverse relationship between initial resistance to ethanol and tolerance development, suggesting that some mutants may display 'secondary' tolerance due to their initial sensitivity, and it proposes a new method for evaluating tolerance that takes this relationship into account.
Article Synopsis
- Addiction is a complex, progressive disease characterized by uncontrollable substance use, leading to various negative consequences and few effective treatments available for substance use disorders (SUD).
- The neurobiological stage-based model divides addiction into three behavioral stages: binge/intoxication, withdrawal/negative affect, and preoccupation/anticipation, but human studies have limitations, necessitating the use of model organisms for deeper understanding.
- Model organisms, like fruit flies, show SUD-like behaviors and can be studied with advanced genetic tools (GAL4/UAS and CRISPR/Cas9) to explore the molecular mechanisms behind the behavioral stages of addiction, offering new possibilities for research on SUD.
