Retrovirus linked to addiction - PP

What makes some people more vulnerable to addiction than others? Until recently, this was not well understood by the scientific community. An international team of researchers recently published a study suggesting that the answer may be buried in our DNA. The paper describes an ancient retrovirus present in a higher proportion among people battling drug addiction. The researchers found that drug users were 3x more likely to have remains of the HK2 retrovirus within a particular gene than people who did not use drugs. This virus was found in 34% of the drug users that were tested, compared to 9.5% of the local population. It is thought that this retrovirus affects the RASGRF2 gene, which is involved in regulating the brains dopamine levels. Dopamine helps control the reward and pleasure centers of the brain, but is also involved in addictive behavior when it is generated in high amounts as a result of drug use. The researchers have not established a causal relationship between the retrovirus and addiction, but the correlation is very strong. With further research, the way that drug addiction is handled both medically and psychologically could change drastically.