Overview

• Treated rats showed a 26% drop in self-administered cocaine, a 62% reduction in relapse-like seeking, and a 52% decline in motivation to obtain the drug.
• The study suggests semaglutide may blunt cocaine-evoked dopamine responses in the nucleus accumbens, though the mechanism is not yet confirmed.
• There is no approved pharmacological treatment for cocaine dependence, heightening interest in evaluating GLP-1 drugs as candidates.
• Independent experts said the findings are promising and recommended clinical trials of GLP-1 receptor agonists for stimulant use disorder.
• The results were published in European Neuropsychopharmacology by a University of Gothenburg–University of Pennsylvania team, which cautioned that the evidence is limited to animal models.