Metabolomics uses high-resolution analytical chemistry techniques to simultaneously measure a large number of low MW molecules in a biological sample. Thus, a global investigation of the biochemical perturbations characteristic of the disease may be successful in providing mechanistic insights into disease states and progression.

The observation that addicted individuals present a range of metabolic abnormalities led to the notion of drug addiction as a ‘metabolic disease’ (Dole & Nyswander, 1967). However, a detailed and refined understanding of the biochemical processes underlying addiction and the nature of the profound interpersonal variability in drug responses and progression of the disorder is still unclear. It is thought to arise, at least partly, as a result of the long-term compensatory mechanisms that occur in response to the increase in striatal dopaminergic transmission along the mesolimbic pathway elicited by drug use. To view the other articles in this section visit ġ METABOLOMICS AS A TOOL TO UNDERSTAND DRUG ADDICTIONĭrug addiction is a chronic relapsing brain disorder characterised by compulsive drug seeking, loss of control over drug intake and the emergence of physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms when the drug is absent (Koob & Kreek, 2007 Koob & Le Moal, 2001 Wee & Koob, 2010). This article is part of a themed issue on Building Bridges in Neuropharmacology. We highlight the importance of metabolomics as a powerful approach for biomarker discovery and its potential to guide personalised pharmacotherapeutic strategies for addiction targeted towards the individual's metabolome. In this review, we summarise human and animal metabolomic studies in the field of opioid and psychostimulant addiction.

By understanding the biomolecular perturbations along this time course and how they vary across individuals, metabolomics can elucidate biochemical mechanisms of the addiction cycle (dependence/withdrawal/relapse) and predict prognosis (recovery/relapse). Using metabolomics, the biochemical derangements associated with substance abuse can be determined as the individual transitions from recreational drug to chronic use (dependence). This includes those encoded in the genome but also those arising from environmental/exogenous exposures and interactions between the two. The metabolome reflects the multifaceted biochemical processes occurring within a biological system. Despite the progress in characterising the pharmacological profile of drugs of abuse, their precise biochemical impact remains unclear.

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