Methods for Treatment of Addiction-Reward Behaviors

Abstract

Methods of treatment of addiction-reward behaviors include reducing ghrelin levels in the patient by at least partially closing at least one artery supplying blood to the stomach, the at least one artery being the celiac artery or a branch of the celiac artery, or by topically treating, surgically removing, or surgically applying treatment to cells in the stomach to reduce ghrelin production by those cells.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A method of treating a dependency in a human patient comprising restricting blood flow to said human patient's stomach, wherein restricting blood flow to said stomach comprises embolization of at least an artery perfusing said stomach. 
     
     
         2 . The method of treating a dependency in a human patient of  claim 1 , wherein said restricting blood flow is effective to lower serum ghrelin levels. 
     
     
         3 . The method of treating a dependency in a human patient of  claim 1 , wherein said embolization comprises transcatheter injection of material into said artery until blood flow in said artery generally ceases. 
     
     
         4 . The method of treating a dependency in a human patient of  claim 1 , wherein said restricting blood flow to said stomach comprises injecting blocking material through a catheter positioned to deliver said blocking material into a lumen of at least an artery perfusing said stomach until blood flow in said artery generally ceases, said artery selected from the group consisting of a branch of the celiac artery and a gastric artery. 
     
     
         5 . The method of treating a dependency in a human patient of  claim 1 , wherein said artery to said stomach is a branch of a celiac artery. 
     
     
         6 . The method of treating a dependency in a human patient of  claim 1 , wherein the dependency is selected from the group consisting of alcohol dependency, tobacco dependency, opiate or opioid dependency, cocaine dependency, methamphetamine dependency, methylene-dioxy-meth-amphetamine (MDMA) dependency, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The method of treating a dependency in a human patient of  claim 5 , wherein said branch of said celiac artery is a gastric artery. 
     
     
         8 . A method of treating a dependency in a human patient, comprising at least partially closing at least one artery supplying blood to the stomach, wherein said at least one artery is the celiac artery or a branch of the celiac artery. 
     
     
         9 . The method of treating a dependency in a human patient of  claim 8 , wherein said treating comprises at least in part lowering ghrelin levels in said human patient. 
     
     
         10 . The method of treating a dependency in a human patient of  claim 8 , wherein the dependency is selected from the group consisting of alcohol dependency, tobacco dependency, opiate or opioid dependency, cocaine dependency, methamphetamine dependency, methylene-dioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) dependency, benzodiazepine dependency, barbiturate dependency, gambling dependency, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The method of treating a dependency in a human patient of  claim 8 , wherein said at least one artery is selected from the group consisting of a left gastric artery, a branch of a left gastric artery, a right gastric artery, a right gastroepiploic artery, and a left gastroepiploic artery. 
     
     
         12 . The method of treating a dependency in a human patient of  claim 8 , wherein at least partially closing at least one artery comprises embolization of said at least one artery. 
     
     
         13 . The method of treating a dependency in a human patient of  claim 12 , wherein said embolization comprises injection of a composition selected from the group consisting of particles, glues, liquid embolics, drugs, proteins, antibodies, and combinations thereof.