Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method of treating or preventing an addictive behavior in a subject, said method comprising administering to said subject an effective amount of a dopamine antagonist and a opiate receptor antagonist or a composition comprising same. Further provided are pharmaceutical compositions comprising, as active substances, at least one dopamine antagonist and at least one opiate receptor antagonist.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method of treating or preventing an addictive behavior in a subject, said method comprising administering to said subject an effective amount of a dopamine antagonist and a opiate receptor antagonist or a composition comprising same. Further provided are pharmaceutical compositions comprising, as active substances, at least one dopamine antagonist and at least one opiate receptor antagonist.

Abstract: Wildtype and mice lacking the gene encoding PKCI/HINT 1 (PKC?/?) were used to assess the involvement of PKCI/HINT1 in regulating basal locomotor activity and the behavioral activating effects of the psychostimulant, amphetamine. PKCl?/? mice displayed low level of spontaneous locomotion relative to WT littermates. Acute administration of amphetamine significantly increased locomotor activity in WT mice; an effect that was enhanced in PKCl?/? mice. Microdialysis studies revealed no alteration in basal DA dynamics in the striatum and nucleus accumbens of KO mice. Similarly, the ability of acute amphetamine to increase DA levels in these brain regions was unaltered. However, a dopamine receptor agonist, apomorphine (10 mg/kg), was able to induce a significantly higher locomotor activity in PKCI?/? mice as compared with WT, suggesting there may be a dopaminergic functional change at the postsynaptic site.

Abstract: A human &mgr; opiate receptor cDNA has been identified from a cerebral cortical CDNA library using sequences from the rat &mgr; opiate receptor CDNA. The human &mgr; opiate receptor (h&mgr;OR1) shares 95% amino acid identity with the rat sequence. The expressed &mgr;OR1 recognizes tested opiate drugs and opioid peptides in a sodium- and GTP-sensitive fashion with affinities virtually identical to those displayed by the rat &mgr; opiate receptor. Effects on cyclic AMP are similar to those noted for the rat &mgr; opiate receptor. Overlapping genomic clones spanning 50 kilobasepairs and hybridizing with the h&mgr;OR1 cDNA contains exon sequences encoding the entire open reading frame of the human A opiate receptor are described. Analysis of hybridization to DNA prepared from human rodent hybrid cell lines and chromosomal in situ hybridization studies indicate localization to 6q24-25. An MspI polymorphism, producing a 3.