Is it possible the brain is inherently capable of overcoming the draw of addictive drugs without help? According to a release in the Science Daily, new research published by the American Psychological Association, the brain’s innate interest in the new and different may help overcome the power of addictive drugs.

In controlled experiments, novelty was successful in drawing cocaine-treated rats away from the place they could get more cocaine. This concept offers an opportunity to introduce an alternative to break the cycle of treatment and relapse, specifically for the many addicts with novelty-craving, risk-taking personalities.

Conducting a multi-stage study, Carmela Reichel, PhD, and Rick Bevins, PhD, of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, trained rats how to prefer one area of an apparatus by injecting them with one of three different doses of cocaine before placing them in that side.

Over the course of eight days, the researchers alternated placing rats in one side or the other, injecting cocaine before placing them on one side, or injecting saline solution before placing them on the other.

During the course of this procedure, the rats – when drug free and given a choice – were significantly more likely to visit the side where they had felt the rewarding effects of cocaine.

The next stage introduced novelty. When rats were placed into the saline-paired compartment, half found something new, such as a white sock, a little piece of PVC pipe or other items. The remaining rats were place in a bare compartment. Those rats introduced to novelty seemed to prefer the novelty, unless they were given high levels of cocaine.

The authors wrote that given the results of the drug-free tests, the findings suggested that employing something new and intriguing could work with drug-free, recovering addicts who are mild but not heavy users. "We identified a window of opportunity for conditioned rewards to compete for control over choice behavior.”