Cocaine relapse can now be significantly reduced with the help of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) found that Cocaine relapse was significantly reduced in a preclinical model when BDNF is applied to the nucleus accumbens deep in the brain immediately before the cocaine-seeking behaviour.

"We discovered that a very common protein in the brain has an additional significant role in addiction relapse," said a lead researcher Ana-Clara Bobadilla.