In the quest to better understand addictions, scientists continue to study why certain individuals become addicted to cocaine while others can remain casual users. In a recent Science Daily release, a protein has been identified by the Scripps Research Institute that could be responsible for triggering control over the addictive impact cocaine can have on the brain.

The results of this study focus on the protein methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) and its interaction with the microRNA genetic material. When these two elements interact, they control the motivation an individual may or may not have to consume cocaine.

Leader on the study, Paul Kenny, an associate professor in the Department of Molecular Therapeutics at Scripps, noted that the results of the study suggest MeCP2 stunts the increase of microRNA-212 in response to cocaine. As a result, MeCP2 may help to regulate vulnerability to addiction in certain people through an inhibitory influence on miR-212. An absence of this influence would reduce the risk of addiction.

This study was published on the heels of another cocaine study conducted by Kenny and his team at Scripps Florida. In that study, it was determined that miR-212 – a small, non-protein coding RNA that regulates the levels of expression in perhaps thousands of genes – influenced the cocaine response in rats.

According to Kenny, the findings in this new study are significant as they demonstrate vulnerabilities in microRNA-212. The initial findings of the study could be important in understanding the complex process of addiction as it adds another level of detail to the entire process.