Researchers have identified a protein called GAT-1 that appears to play a key role in the withdrawal symptoms experienced by people who stop using heroin and other “opioid” drugs, such as morphine and codeine. As such, GAT-1 could serve as a target for drugs designed to prevent withdrawal symptoms.Using various lab techniques, Dr. Elena E. Bagley and colleagues, from the University of Sydney in Australia, showed that opioid withdrawal causes a small electrochemical current to form in nerve cells. Further analysis revealed that GAT-1 regulated this current.The researchers’ findings appear in the scientific journal Neuron.
