Cocaine Addiction News and Research

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Cocaine dependence (or addiction) is physical and psychological dependency on the regular use of cocaine. It can result in severe physiological damage, psychosis, schizophrenia, lethargy, depression, or a potentially fatal overdose.

Single cocaine exposure causes lasting brain cell changes in mice

Researchers studying the impact of cocaine in mice have found that just one exposure to the drug can create changes in brain cells that persist for at least two weeks.

6 Jul 2026

Genetic study links liver enzyme to compulsive cocaine addiction

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have completed a massive genetic study that identifies key biological drivers of cocaine addiction, uncovering a potential new target for treatment that resides in the liver rather than the brain.

11 Jun 2026

MSU scientists map the neural circuitry of drug compulsion

When a cocaine addict relapses, it isn't a matter of personal failure - it's the biological result of their brain's rewiring, new research finds.

5 Mar 2026

Altered stress signaling helps explain relapse in alcohol use disorder

A new study by Scripps Research reveals that alcohol dependence disrupts two signaling pathways in a stress-related part of the brain-and offers insights on developing drugs to treat this condition.

22 Dec 2025

Semaglutide may one day be used to treat cocaine addiction

A drug already prescribed for type 2 diabetes and obesity may one day be used to treat cocaine addiction. In animal studies, researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, found that semaglutide reduced both cocaine use and relapse.

5 Sep 2025

Ibogaine treatment shows major breakthrough for veterans with brain injuries

Now, Stanford Medicine researchers have discovered that the plant-based psychoactive drug ibogaine, when combined with magnesium to protect the heart, safely and effectively reduces PTSD, anxiety and depression and improves functioning in veterans with TBI.

24 Jul 2025

Anti-reward brain circuit may hold key to treating cocaine addiction

Why do so many people relapse after quitting cocaine? A new study from The Hebrew University reveals that a specific "anti-reward" brain circuit becomes hyperactive during withdrawal-driving discomfort and pushing users back toward the drug.

23 Jul 2025

Fruit fly model sheds light on genetic roots of cocaine addiction

In a new JNeurosci paper, Adrian Rothenfluh and colleagues from the University of Utah developed a fruit fly model of cocaine self-administration that can be used to explore the genetic underpinnings of cocaine addiction.

3 Jun 2025

New genetically modified fruit fly model sheds light on cocaine addiction

For the first time, researchers have created genetically modified fruit flies that can become addicted to cocaine.

2 Jun 2025

Chronic cocaine use increases impulsivity

Findings indicate chronic cocaine use alters brain circuits, increasing impulsivity in low-impulsive rats, contradicting previous assumptions about addiction.

5 Mar 2025

Boosting endocannabinoids could reduce opioid addiction risk

Increasing the levels of chemicals naturally produced in the body called endocannabinoids may thwart the highly addictive nature of opioids such as morphine and oxycodone while maintaining the drugs' ability to relieve pain, according to Weill Cornell Medicine investigators working with researchers from The Center for Youth Mental Health at NewYork-Presbyterian.

2 Dec 2024

UC San Diego receives $8 million grant to study the genetics of substance use disorder

University of California San Diego School of Medicine has received a five-year, $8 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to study the genetics of substance use disorders.

28 Oct 2024

GPePV neurons identified as key players in controlling cocaine addiction behaviors

Researchers examine how GPePV cells regulate cocaine-induced behaviors through interactions with ventral tegmental area dopamine cells.

25 Aug 2024

Study demonstrates the deleterious effects of chronic cocaine use on functional brain networks

A collaborative research endeavor by scientists in the Departments of Radiology, Neurology, and Psychology and Neuroscience at the UNC School of Medicine have demonstrated the deleterious effects of chronic cocaine use on the functional networks in the brain.

28 Feb 2024

Female sex hormone estradiol makes women more susceptible to cocaine addiction

Previous studies focused on cocaine use have found that women are more likely than men to develop an addiction, try cocaine at a younger age, use larger amounts of the drug, and suffer from overdose.

30 Jan 2024

Psychedelic drug offers lifesaving relief for veterans plagued by traumatic brain injury

For military veterans, many of the deepest wounds of war are invisible: Traumatic brain injuries resulting from head trauma or blast explosions are a leading cause of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and suicide among veterans.

5 Jan 2024

Study sheds light on how cocaine addiction alters brain's reward system

Rutgers researchers have used neuroimaging to demonstrate that cocaine addiction alters the brain's system for evaluating how rewarding various outcomes associated with our decisions will feel.

25 Oct 2023

ADHD drug could serve as a cocaine-replacement therapy

Cocaine use continues to be a public health problem, yet despite concerted efforts, no drugs have been approved to resolve cocaine addiction. Research suggests that the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder drug methylphenidate (MPH; Ritalin) could serve as a cocaine-replacement therapy, but clinical results have been mixed.

30 Aug 2023

UVA Health launches clinical trial to determine if focused ultrasound can help people quit cocaine

Pioneering researchers at UVA Health are testing whether focused sound waves can help people overcome cocaine addiction, a growing problem across the nation.

22 Aug 2023

Specific brain circuit initially implicated in animals found to be impaired in people with cocaine or heroin addiction

White matter in the brain that was previously implicated in animal studies has now been suggested to be specifically impaired in the brains of people with addiction to cocaine or heroin, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Baylor College of Medicine.

6 Oct 2022