Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS): A Cytoarchitectural Common Neurobiological Trait of All Addictions

Abstract

Alcohol and other substance use disorders share comorbidity with other RDS disorders, i.e., a reduction in dopamine signaling within the reward pathway. RDS is a term that connects addictive, obsessive, compulsive, and impulsive behavioral disorders. An estimated 2 million individuals in the United States have opioid use disorder related to prescription opioids. It is estimated that the overall cost of the illegal and legally prescribed opioid crisis exceeds one trillion dollars. Opioid Replacement Therapy is the most common treatment for addictions and other RDS disorders. Even after repeated relapses, patients are repeatedly prescribed the same opioid replacement treatments. A recent JAMA report indicates that non-opioid treatments fare better than chronic opioid treatments. Research demonstrates that over 50 percent of all suicides are related to alcohol or other drug use. In addition to effective fellowship programs and spirituality acceptance, nutrigenomic therapies (e.g., KB220Z) optimize gene expression, rebalance neurotransmitters, and restore neurotransmitter functional connectivity. KB220Z was shown to increase functional connectivity across specific brain regions involved in dopaminergic function. KB220/Z significantly reduces RDS behavioral disorders and relapse in human DUI offenders. Taking a Genetic Addiction Risk Severity (GARS) test combined with a the KB220Z semi-customized nutrigenomic supplement effectively restores dopamine homeostasis (WC 199).

Identification of the Risk Genes Associated With Vulnerability to Addiction: Major Findings From Transgenic Animals

“…Furthermore, it is not fully understood how such genetic variants (such as KO or decreased expression) convey susceptibility to addiction. We interpreted high rates of drug self-administration and increased intake as a compensatory response to attenuated reinforcing effects of drugs after deletion of one receptor gene, which, in concept, is similar to a well-accepted view that drug craving and compulsive drug seeking is closely associated with reward deficiency syndrome in drug users during abstinence, which has been considered to be a neurobiological trait for the diagnosis and treatment of impulsive, addictive, and compulsive behaviors ( Blum et al, 2000 , 2021 ; Gondré-Lewis et al, 2020 ).…”

Prenatal Effects of Nicotine on Obesity Risks: A Narrative Review

“…It is important to be able to examine their existence prior to the consequence. The Genetic Addiction Risk Severity (GARS) was developed to test and predict an individual’s vulnerability to pain, addiction, and compulsive behaviors defining RDS [ 67 , 105 , 106 , 150 , 151 , 152 , 153 , 154 , 155 , 156 , 157 , 158 , 159 , 160 , 161 , 162 ]. It examines a panel of 11 reward gene risk variants with established polymorphisms reflecting the brain reward cascade and predicting the severity of potential drug and alcohol dependency.…”

Positive Clinical Outcomes for Severe Reported Pain Using Robust Non-Addictive Home Electrotherapy—A Case-Series

“…There are a number of positive research studies regarding the clinical effects of, for example, the putative Pro-dopamine regulator KB220/KB220Z [ 6 ]. Along with this notion, Blum’s group developed the GARS test [ 7 ], to help identify DNA gene reward risk antecedents that could help pin-point brain reward neurotransmitter deficits as well as surfeits in what has been previously termed RDS [ 8 , 9 ]. Along these lines, it is important for the scientific community to embrace the idea that there is a simple way to assess and stratify “preaddiction” (similar to RDS) by coupling the validated RDSq29, GARS and Brain-, Spine-, and Mental- Health Screening Methods as the way to early identification of people at risk [ 10 , 11 ].…”