Dara Ghahremani and Edythe London, faculty members in the UCLA Health Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, have been chosen to be a part of a global coalition of experts working on researching novel approaches to diagnose, treat, and prevent addiction disorders.
Both Ghahremani and London are affiliated with The Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA and will serve as co-principal investigators in the Untangling Addiction program, which was recently launched by the nonprofit health research organization Wellcome Leap. This three-year, $50 million initiative involves collaboration with 13 other universities and organizations, with the goal of developing innovative methods to assess addiction risk and progression through biomarkers.
The team from UCLA will be leading the first comprehensive study of the habenula, a brain nucleus associated with negative states experienced during withdrawal, in relation to addiction. While animal studies have shown strong connections between the habenula and addiction, there is limited research on humans. The researchers plan to analyze MRI data from a large number of individuals with problematic alcohol use to determine if similar associations exist in humans.
Ghahremani believes that if they are able to establish these connections, the habenula could become a key target for therapeutic interventions. For instance, they may explore the use of a noninvasive brain stimulation method called low-intensity focused ultrasound to temporarily modify habenula function during alcohol withdrawal, potentially reducing symptoms and lowering the risk of continued drug use.