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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

light stimulation, dopamine neurons, nucleus accumbens, alcoholics

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Light therapy has been utilized to treat alcoholics in the past (Zalewska- Kaszubska & Obzejta, 2004), and opiate dependent rats (Mirzaii-Dizgah, Ojaghi, Sadeghipour-Roodsari, Karimian, & Sohanaki, 2009). Unfortunately, research is limited and still little is known. It was the aim of this study to determine what these effects are, specifically in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Dopamine (DA) release in the shell of the NAc has been shown to be a contributing factor in addiction. As DA levels in the NAc are raised, behavior reinforcement occurs. Addictive drugs hijack this system by raising levels of DA in the NAc, and raising the threshold for brain stimulation reward. This results in a reduction in the excitability of the reward system and becomes a significant factor in forming addictive behavior. When addicts refrain from their addictive behavior, DA levels fall in the NAc, and so do the reinforcing feelings connected with them. This creates a powerful motivation to return to the addictive behavior, thereby raising DA levels and avoiding the depression associated with withdrawal (Di Chiara & Bassareo, 2007). If the tonic levels of DA in the NAc could be restored before such a critical point of deficiency, then relapse, depression, and the associated societal impacts could be more easily avoided. Low-level laser therapy prior to naloxone injection has proven to be an effective treatment for mitigating the effects of withdrawal for morphine-dependent rats (Mirzaii-Dizgah et al., 2009). A similar technique called near-infrared light treatment has also proved effective in restoring the function of dopaminergic cells in the substantia nigra pars compacta in mice, and is believed to have done so by increasing the efficiency for cellular functions (Shaw et al., 2010). These studies point to light radiation as a plausible therapy for addiction.

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