Alcohol addiction ruins millions of lives every year, but scientists may have found a cure for this terrible affliction. A new treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) has been trialled in monkeys with impressive results and, if these translate to human trials, the impact could be monumental. A team of neuroscientists and physiologists from across the US tested a new type of gene therapy to see if they could directly target the underlying brain circuitry associated with sustained heavy drinking. As they noted, in the journal Nature Medicine, people suffering from AUD commonly return to alcohol use even if they attempt to quit. This is largely to do with what’s known as mesolimbic dopamine (DA) signalling – meaning how the central nervous system circuit communicates the feelgood neurotransmitter dopamine. A protein called glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is key to keeping these neurons in this reward circuitry functioning. However, experts have found that levels of GDNF are reduced in people with AUD during periods of alcohol abstinence, most notably in a region of the brain called the ventral tegmental area (VTA), as IFLScience notes. Therefore, the researchers decided to test whether using gene therapy to deliver more GDNF to the VTA could help reinforce this crucial dopaminergic signalling and prevent patients from suffering an alcoholic relapse. The team of scientists explained how alcohol consumption in non-addicts prompts the release of dopamine, creating a pleasurable buzz feeling, but chronic alcohol use causes the brain to adapt and stop releasing so much dopamine. “So when people are addicted to alcohol, they don’t really feel more pleasure in drinking,” Dr Kathleen Grant, a senior co-author of the study, said in a statement. “It seems that they’re drinking more because they feel a need to maintain an intoxicated state.” For their research, Dr Grant and her colleagues used eight rhesus macaque monkeys, who were exposed to increasing concentrations of alcohol over four 30-day “induction” periods. The monkeys then had free access to alcohol and water for 21 hours a day for six months, during which they developed heavy drinking behaviours. This was then followed by a 12-week abstinence phase, with the GDNF treatment performed four weeks in for half of the subjects. The gene therapy was delivered using a a viral vector containing a copy of the human GDNF gene injected directly into the primate’s VTA, according to IFLScience. And the results were truly jaw-dropping. “Drinking went down to almost zero,” Dr Grant said. “For months on end, these animals would choose to drink water and just avoid drinking alcohol altogether. They decreased their drinking to the point that it was so low we didn’t record a blood-alcohol level.” The most exciting aspect of their findings is the suggestion that gene therapy could offer a permanent solution for people with the most severe cases of AUD. This will be a welcome glimmer of hope to many, given that some 29.5 million people were diagnosed with AUD in the US alone in 2021, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Of these 29.5 million sufferers, almost a million (894,000) were aged between 12 and 17. It’ll likely be some time before we know for sure whether the gene therapy can be rolled out in humans, but it’s an important first step in tackling this devastating disorder. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Astronomers have just found out what planet in the universe is most dazzling and it is probably one you have never heard of. Looking at how much planet's clouds reflect sunlight back into space, astronomers have found a planet called exoplanet LTT9779b which reflects 80 per cent of the starlight it receives, making it the shiniest known planet in the universe. LTT9779b is slightly heavier and slightly larger than Neptune, and it is reflective because of the metallic glassy clouds that make up its atmosphere. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “Imagine a burning world, close to its star, with heavy clouds of metals floating aloft, raining down titanium droplets,” co-author James Jenkins, an astronomer at Diego Portales University and CATA (Santiago, Chile), said in a statement. Vivien Parmentier, a researcher at the Observatory of Côte d’Azur (France) and co-author of the study added: "LTT9779 b can form metallic clouds despite being so hot because the atmosphere is oversaturated with silicate and metal vapours.” So there you have it. Shame it doesn't have a very catchy name. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

As Activision Blizzard prepares to leave the Stock Exchange, is Microsoft's acquisition close being completed?

It's been a while (2017, precisely), since we've taken a deep look at a Biostar

Apple has revealed the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, its new cheaper phones. The new handsets borrow a host of features from last year’s more expensive, Pro models. It gets the “Dynamic Island” at the top of the screen, its predecessor’s processor, and upgraded cameras. But it packs that into a cheaper and brighter design. Apple said it is the first time that anyone has made the colour run all the way through the glass, and that it has used “metallic ions” to build colour into the material itself. It comes in five different colours: pink, yellow, green, blue and black. The design is changed ever so slightly, too. Apple said that it should feel “even nicer in your hand” because of a “new contoured edge” on the side of the phone. But the main upgrades from the iPhone 14 appeared to be in the camera. That will now be 48 megapixels – compared with 12 in the previous model – and new machine learning tools that will improve those pictures. The iPhone 15 also comes with a new ultra-wide band chip for finding other devices. That can be used to find other people: using the Find My app, the phone will show precise directions for finding people in busy places, for instance. Phone calls are also due to improve, Apple said. That should filter out distracting noises from the background to make them clearer. That was part of a host of connectivity improvements, which also added new features to Apple’s satellite features. If drivers have trouble with their car, they can use that extra satellite connectivity to get in touch with roadside service, for instance. Read More Apple is changing the plug on the bottom of your iPhone Apple to stop using leather in all new products Here’s the brand new Apple Watch

Getting those Blue Onions can be tough. Here's a guide to help you out.

MrBeast's latest video almost broke the record for the most watched non-music video on YouTube in the first 24 hours

SAVE 20%: As of May 19, Prime members can get 20% off their purchase when

A Delaware judge has ruled in favor of Oracle founder Larry Ellison in a shareholder lawsuit alleging that he coerced the company into paying a grossly inflated price to acquire software corporation NetSuite

Back when blue ticks on Twitter were something you had to apply for, they were

Internet criticized Meghan King's hypocrisy as she shared an unblurred photo of her niece but still continues to hide her own children's faces online

TL;DR: As of July 24, get a refurbished Acer 24-inch HD monitor for just $129.99