Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) training improved trait mindfulness and reduced psychological craving in methamphetamine-dependent young adult females. In a randomized trial with 58 participants from a compulsory isolation drug rehabilitation center, those who received 2-hour MBRP sessions twice weekly for 4 weeks, alongside routine treatment, showed greater increases in mindfulness scores and greater decreases in craving scores compared to a control group receiving routine treatment alone. Mental feedback monitoring also showed significant improvements in concentration and relaxation during breath meditation and body scan exercises. The findings suggest MBRP can be an effective addition to standard treatment for this population.
Exposure to 60% nitrous oxide (N2O), but not 30%, induced conditioned place preference (CPP) reward behavior in rodents and increased the excitability and glutamatergic transmission of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). N2O specifically elevated homocysteine levels in the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN), but blocking homocysteine production did not reduce the rewarding behavior or glutamatergic transmission. Instead, N2O directly enhanced AMPA receptor-mediated glutamatergic transmission and increased activity in both DCN and VTA dopamine neurons. Inhibiting the DCN-VTA circuit via optogenetic long-term depression or chemogenetic inhibition of VTA dopamine neurons reduced N2O-induced CPP. Attenuating N2O-induced potentiation of the DCN-VTA circuit may offer a therapeutic strategy for N2O-related reward behavior.