Understanding the effects of drugs on the brain
Mount Sinai researchers may have unlocked the key to better understanding the effect addictive drugs have on the human brain. Mount Sinai researchers looked at the systems biology approach in order to study molecular networks underlying addiction.
The findings start to unravel the complex interactions within brain cells, which are involved in processing signals from receptors in the brain that recognize the addictive drugs.
Researchers discovered that a drug that works through the cannabinoid 1 receptor recognizing the active ingredient of marijuana activates many different transcription factors, triggering the differentiation of neurons, causing permanent changes in a person’s brain.
