Eric Poisel News Today

Scientists from Germany and Canada have shown in Frontiers in Psychiatry that in humans, cocaine use disorder (CUD) leads to changes in the ‘methylome’ of a subregion within the prefrontal cortex, Brodmann Area 9, thought to be important for self-awareness and inhibitory control. Typically, a greater degree of DNA methylation leads to the ‘dialing down’ of nearby genes. ...

Individuals with cocaine use disorder show greater biological aging in a key area of the brain, findings from a novel study of postmortem brain tissue suggest.

A new study finds evidence from the DNA methylome that the biological age – different from the chronological age – of cells in Brodmann Area 9 of the prefrontal cortex might be greater in people with cocaine use disorder.

Scientists tend to view substance addiction as primarily a disease of the brain. When we enjoy sex, food, music, or hobbies, regions of our brain within the reward pathway are flooded with pleasure-inducing dopamine.