Researchers found that animals treated with GVG spent 80 seconds on the side of the chamber where they had previously received toluene as compared to the saline-treated animals, which spent 349 seconds in the "toluene" chamber. "GVG significantly blocked toluene-seeking behavior in these rats," Dewey said.

Earlier research at Brookhaven Lab demonstrated the addictive nature of inhalants. A team led by Dewey found that toluene elevates dopamine in the same regions of the brain as other addictive drugs, such as cocaine. The neurotransmitter dopamine is associated with the activation of pleasure and reward circuits in the brain.

Inhalant abuse is among the most common forms of drug abuse, particularly among pre- and early adolescents, who inhale or "huff" chemical vapors found in many common household products that are not generally thought of as drugs. Seventy-one percent of inhalant users are 12 to 25 year olds, according to the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health performed by the U.S. Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration.

Stephen Dewey and Jonathan Brodie, a psychiatrist at the New York University School of Medicine, have collaborated at Brookhaven Lab on a large body of preclinical research on GVG as a potential treatment for addiction, and on two small-scale trials of GVG in Mexico [one published http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/2003/bnlpr092203a.asp, one yet-to-be published]. Results from the preclinical and early clinical trials show that GVG holds promise as a treatment for addiction to a variety of abused drugs (see: http://www.bnl.gov/pet/GVG/default.asp).
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Contact: Dennis Tartaglia
dennist@mbooth.com
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M Booth & Associates
30-Sep-2004