Julia Gjerstad

• MSci Biomedical Sciences
• Investigation of drug treatments that may reduce the severity of morphine dependence and relapse to drug abuse using intravenous self-administration in the rat.

There are various treatments available for opioid addicts, but their effectiveness is limited and better options is actively being sought.  The principal aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of two substances, gabapantine and ketamine, for reducing the harmful consequences of self-injected morphine.  Gabapentine is a drug that reduces nervous system activation and is used for reducing pain and the seizure threshold in epilepsy. There have been mixed reports whether it reduces symptoms of opiate withdrawals. Ketamine blocks excitatory brain chemicals and there is evidence that the cellular changes leading to morphine dependence can be prevented or reversed by ketamine. 

Funding Source: Newcastle University