Substance Use Disorder News and Research

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Study identifies a neuromarker for drug and food craving

Craving is known to be a key factor in substance use disorders and can increase the likelihood of future drug use or relapse. Yet its neural basis -; or, how the brain gives rise to craving -; is not well understood.

19 Dec 2022

NIH establishes research network to test harm reduction strategies in community settings

To address the overdose crisis in the United States, the National Institutes of Health has established a research network that will test harm reduction strategies in different community settings to inform efforts to help save lives.

16 Dec 2022

Study finds spike in endocarditis among patients with cocaine or opioid use disorder from 2011 to 2022

The incidence rate of infective endocarditis - a rare but often fatal inflammation of the heart valves - among patients with cocaine use disorder or opioid use disorder increased from 2011 to 2022, with the steepest increase occurring from 2021 to 2022, a new study reports.

13 Dec 2022

In rural America, deadly costs of opioids outweigh the dollars tagged to address them

Tim Buck knows by heart how many people died from drug overdoses in his North Carolina county last year: 10. The year before it was 12 — an all-time high.

12 Dec 2022

Self-service vending machine filled with harm reduction supplies helps prevent overdoses

More than 107,000 Americans died from drug overdose in 2021, highlighting the need for evidence-based interventions.

6 Dec 2022

Addiction treatment proponents urge rural clinicians to pitch in by prescribing medication

Andrea Storjohann is glad to see that she's becoming less of a rarity in rural America.

1 Dec 2022

Schools, sheriffs, and syringes: State plans vary for spending $26B in opioid settlement funds

With more than 200 Americans still dying of drug overdoses each day, states are beginning the high-stakes task of deciding how to spend billions of dollars in settlement funds from opioid manufacturers and distributors.

22 Nov 2022

Does CBD mitigate harms of cannabis?

Researchers examine adverse outcomes of THC could be alleviated by increasing the concentrations of CBD in these products.

20 Nov 2022

ADHD drug associated with lowest risk of amphetamine-related hospitalizations and death

The ADHD medication lisdexamfetamine was associated with the lowest risk of hospitalization and death in people with amphetamine addiction, when medications generally used among persons with substance use disorders were compared.

16 Nov 2022

New intervention helps patients with addiction to better manage their health

An intervention that teaches patients in addiction treatment how to better connect with their primary care medical team on both mental and physical health concerns resulted in long-term benefits over 5 years, including more primary care use and fewer substance-related emergency department visits, Kaiser Permanente researchers have found.

10 Nov 2022

MSU researchers receive $3 million NIH grant to study testosterone’s role in depression

Major depressive disorder affects women twice as often as men, but researchers are still trying to identify the reasons why.

24 Oct 2022

IU researchers build virtual environment to help people recover from substance use disorders

Indiana University researchers are combining psychological principles with innovative virtual reality technology to create a new immersive therapy for people with substance use disorders.

19 Oct 2022

Hospitals have been slow to bring on addiction specialists

In December, Marie, who lives in coastal Swampscott, Massachusetts, began having trouble breathing. Three days after Christmas, she woke up gasping for air and dialed 911.

11 Oct 2022

Star-shaped brain cells can "turn off" neurons involved in heroin relapse

Neuroscientists from the Medical University of South Carolina report in Science Advances that star-shaped brain cells known as astrocytes can "turn off" neurons involved in relapse to heroin.

5 Oct 2022

What are the neuropsychiatric effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Researchers investigated cognitive deficits associated with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection.

27 Sep 2022

Women experiencing food insecurity may be at greater risk for highly processed food addiction

A new study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, published by Elsevier, finds that women experiencing food insecurity more frequently report symptoms of food addiction, such as compulsive eating of certain types of food, unsuccessful attempts to cut down and withdrawal symptoms.

20 Sep 2022

More than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, data shows

More than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths were preventable, according to 2017-2019 data from Maternal Mortality Review Committees, which are representatives of diverse clinical and non-clinical backgrounds who review the circumstances around pregnancy-related deaths to identify recommendations to prevent future deaths.