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Health & Science4h 15m ago

A new study links the liver-based Ces1 gene cluster to compulsive cocaine addiction, offering a new treatment path.

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UC San Diego School of Medicine

Who
Dr. Lara and Dr. Palmer from UC San Diego School of Medicine
What
A new study links the liver-based Ces1 gene cluster to compulsive cocaine addiction, offering a new treatment path.
When
Thu, 11 Jun 2026 20:45:22 GMT · 4h 15m ago
Where
UC San Diego School of Medicine ·
Why
Variations in the Ces1 genes in the liver dictate how rapidly an organism breaks down cocaine, directly predicting susceptibility to compulsive, addictive cycles.
The Frontline Impact

How this affects you

This discovery shifts the understanding of addiction from being purely neurocentric to including peripheral metabolic processes in the liver, potentially leading to new medications that target liver enzymes to alter drug metabolism and blunt the compulsive drive to use.

Story chain

2 events in this thread
  1. Health & Science4h 15m ago
    A new study by researchers at UC San Diego has identified a key genetic driver of cocaine addiction in the liver, rather than the brain, specifically linking the Ces1 gene cluster to compulsive cocaine addiction.
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  2. Currently Reading4h 15m ago
    A new study links the liver-based Ces1 gene cluster to compulsive cocaine addiction, offering a new treatment path.

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