The present invention provides a method of mitigating a symptom of maladaptive substance use in a subject by inhibiting CCK<SUB>B </SUB>receptors. In addition, the invention provides a variety of prescreening and screening methods aimed at identifying agents that modulate a symptom of maladaptive substance use. Methods of the invention can involve assaying test agent binding to CCK<SUB>B </SUB>receptors. Alternatively, test agents can be screened for their ability to alter the level of CCK<SUB>B </SUB>receptor polypeptides, polynucleotides, or function. Finally, the invention also provides a diagnostic method that entails measuring one or more of these levels and determining risk for maladaptive substance use based on comparison to the corresponding level for a control population.
Treatment of maladaptive substance use with cholecystokinin (CCK) antagonists