Jan 21, 2014 07:39 PM EST By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

An enzyme-regulated brain function that occurs after the consumption of cocaine has been identified as causing addiction, according to a new study Fox News reported.

In the study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, researchers said their discovery may help explain how cocaine becomes addictive and could help develop a drug target for anti-addiction medications.

Eric J. Nestler, director of the Friedman Brain Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, said their research reveals how an "abundant enzyme and synaptic gene affect a key reward circuit in the brain, changing the ways genes are affected," UPI reported.

For the study, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai administered chronic cocaine to lab mice. They found that regular cocaine use caused levels of an enzyme called PARP-1 to increase. High levels of the enzyme are linked to causing cocaine addiction.

Kimberly Scobie, lead investigator and postdoctoral fellow, said preventing the increase of the PARP-1 enzyme could help to "mediate" the brain's reward center.

"It is striking that changing the level of PARP-1 alone is sufficient to influence the rewarding effects of cocaine," Scobie said.

Researchers also found that changes induced by PARP-1, changed the expression of sidekick-1, a cell adhesion molecule found on the brain's synapses, Fox News reported. They found that the overexpression of the sidekick-1increased the rewarding effects of cocaine and caused changes in synaptic connections of neurons in the brain reward region.

Nestler said the research team is using PARP to identify other proteins regulated by cocaine.

Nearly 1.4 million Americans meet criteria for dependence or abuse of cocaine, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.

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