Drug Abuse News and Research

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NIH study in mice shows potential new target for treatment of ADHD

A study using mice provides insight into how a specific receptor subtype in the brain could play a role in increasing a person's risk for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

17 Aug 2011

Research: p38α MAPK protein plays a role in addiction, depression-like behavior

Researchers studying mice are getting closer to understanding how stress affects mood and motivation for drugs.

11 Aug 2011

Health Affairs report describes ground-breaking effort that aims to prevent opioid abuse

Fatal overdoses involving prescribed opioids tripled in the United States between 1999 and 2006, climbing to almost 14,000 deaths annually-more than cocaine and heroin overdoses combined. Hospitalizations and emergency room visits related to prescription opioid pain medicines such as oxycodone and hydrocodone also increased dramatically in the same period.

5 Aug 2011

Methamphetamine use can fuel HIV infection risk among young MSM

A study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center and elsewhere shows that methamphetamine use can fuel HIV infection risk among teenage boys and young men who have sex with men (MSM), a group that includes openly gay and bisexual men, as well as those who have sex with men but do not identify themselves as gay or bisexual.

2 Aug 2011

NASADAD receives SAMHSA's Mental Health and Substance Abuse Block grants

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today awarded a $1.1 million grant to the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) to provide support for states as they navigate the challenges and opportunities presented in the changing health and human services environment.

30 Jul 2011

Drinking, drugs and cigarettes not so cool for ‘teens’ these days

According to the latest figure, teenagers are increasingly turning their back on drink, drugs and smoking. The reports reveal that the number of young people indulging in the vices dropped in 2010, continuing a downward trend over the past seven years.

29 Jul 2011

Virtual reality study to address alcohol abuse issues in veterans

The spoils of war for returning veterans may include addictions, injury and the constant images of horrific events they witnessed. Now a University of Houston joint study funded by the Veterans Health Administration Rehabilitation Research and Development service looks to address these issues through the use of virtual reality.

27 Jul 2011

Study suggests common process for both pleasurable and anxiety-reducing effects of nicotine

Removing a protein from cells located in the brain's reward center blocks the anxiety-reducing and rewarding effects of nicotine, according to a new animal study in the July 27 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings may help researchers better understand how nicotine affects the brain.

27 Jul 2011

Less smokers but more drug addicts: Australian population survey

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26 Jul 2011

NIDA awards $3.5M to BUSM/BMC for 'Linking Infectious and Narcology Care' project

Researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) were recently awarded a $3.5 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), to improve upon the "seek, test, treat, and retain" paradigm in Eastern Europe among HIV-infected Russian and Eastern European injection drug users (IDUs) in narcology care.

22 Jul 2011

New vaccine formulation may help heroin addicts maintain abstinence

Scientists are reporting development and successful initial laboratory tests on the key ingredient for a much-needed vaccine to help individuals addicted to heroin abstain from the illicit drug. Their study appears in ACS' Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

21 Jul 2011

Novel vaccine for treating heroin addiction

Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have developed a highly successful vaccine against a heroin high and have proven its therapeutic potential in animal models.

21 Jul 2011

Purdue Pharma develops new online resource for combating prescription drug abuse

A new online resource, RxSafetyMatters.org, is now available to help healthcare professionals, law enforcement, and community organizations combat the illegal diversion and abuse of prescription medications.

20 Jul 2011

New trends in HIV cure research presented at IAS 2011

Researchers speaking on the final day of the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2011) have focused on the growing interest in the scientific path to an HIV Cure.

20 Jul 2011

Quitting cannabis use in your 20s cuts progression to other drugs

Quitting cannabis use in your 20s significantly reduces your chance of progressing to other illicit drug use, according to research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

18 Jul 2011

Stimulant addiction from bath salts causing serious and long term problems

A new stimulant addiction is causing concern among emergency doctors. At Schuylkill Medical Center in Pottsville, Pa. people were arriving so agitated, violent and psychotic that a small army of medical workers was needed to hold them down. They had taken new stimulant drugs that people are calling “bath salts,” and sometimes even large doses of sedatives failed to quiet them.

18 Jul 2011

Propranolol can block brain from retrieving cocaine-associated memories

New discoveries by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) offer potential for development of a first-ever pharmacological treatment for cocaine addiction.

16 Jul 2011

Study indicates bi-directional relationships between alcohol and stress

Acute stress is thought to precipitate alcohol drinking. Yet the ways that acute stress can increase alcohol consumption are unclear. A new study investigated whether different phases of response to an acute stressor can alter the subjective effects of alcohol. Findings indicate bi-directional relationships between alcohol and stress.

16 Jul 2011

Female teens more vulnerable to negative effects of binge drinking

Binge or "heavy episodic" drinking is prevalent during adolescence, raising concerns about alcohol's effects on crucial neuromaturational processes during this developmental period.

16 Jul 2011

Women with current major depression more likely to use crack

Women who are clinically depressed at the time they enter drug court have a substantially higher risk of using crack cocaine within four months, according to a new study.

15 Jul 2011