Editorial Open Access Genetic Syndromes & Gene Therapy

Iatrogenic prescription drug abuse in the United States caused ~27,000 unintentional drug overdose deaths back in 2007 when 9 million individuals reported chronic use of opioid pain treatment [1,2]. The Reward Deficiency Solution System (RDSS) presented here brings together research into strategies being developed for clinicians to assist in avoidance of some of the unintended consequences of opioid pain treatment. Genetic mechanisms in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the mesolimbic “reward center ” have a role in the moderation of pain sensitivity and tolerance and can be used to determine genetic addiction predisposition [3]. Patients at risk would benefit from non- addictive alternative treatments for pain and careful monitoring. A pilot study of genetic addiction risk score (GARS) severity was conducted in 70 patients attending two independent addiction treatment centers. The percentage of prevalence of the risk alleles (DRD2=A1; DRD3 =Gly; DRD4 = 3R or 7R; SLC6A3 (DAT) =10R