According to an article from the Associated Press, Texas A&M University is starting a five year study where cocaine is given to rats to help them understand the effects of drug addiction. The study hopes to better understand the effect the drug has on the brain.

The University got the cocaine from the federal government. The government bought the cocaine from a company that does drug research. The study received a $1.4 million dollar federal grant for the findings.

Barry Setlow, a professor at the University in the psychology department has this to say about what he hopes to learn from the study.

“A lot of addiction treatment is getting people to stop using drugs. That has to be the first step,” Setlow said. “People may choose the immediate reward of a cocaine binge instead of the greater reward of spending time with your family or paying your mortgage.”

What the University also hopes to get out of the study is a better understanding of why people relapse on drugs such as cocaine. They also hope to be able to make better progress in how to treat this type of drug addiction. Addiction treatment is something that hopefully will be improved after this study is completed.