Our lab’s latest review paper has just been published as an open-access article in Biological Psychiatry, highlighting a promising frontier in addiction neuroscience. Psychostimulant use disorder (PSUD) and nicotine use disorder (NUD) affect tens of millions of people worldwide, yet there are currently no clinically approved medications for PSUD, and existing NUD treatments offer limited long-term efficacy. Our newly published work synthesizes a growing body of preclinical literature and emerging clinical studies demonstrating how glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists—commonly known for treating diabetes and obesity—can be successfully repurposed to suppress voluntary drug-taking and drug-seeking behaviors. By mapping the underlying neural mechanisms, including how these agonists act on the mesolimbic reward system and central endogenous GLP-1 circuits, this review supports the immense translational potential of GLP-1R agonists as novel pharmacotherapies to combat substance use disorders.
