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Study identifies genetic variation linked with increased risk of major depression

Numerous studies have shown that the brain molecule neuropeptide Y (NPY) helps to restore calm after stressful events. A team of University of Michigan-led researchers has now found that people whose genes predispose them to produce lower levels of NPY are more responsive to negative stimuli in key brain circuits related to emotion - and are therefore less resilient in the face of stress and may be at higher risk for developing a major depressive disorder.

8 Feb 2011

Scientists analyze relationship between drug abuse, recognition of basic emotions

University of Granada scientists have been the first to analyze the relation between drug abuse and recognition of basic emotions by drug-abusers.

4 Feb 2011

Study finds increased prescription drug abuse among teens

Illicit drugs like marijuana, cocaine and heroin have always been a parent's nightmare. But perfectly legal and easily accessible prescription medications are now the recreational drugs of choice for many teenagers, prompting physicians at Johns Hopkins Children's Center to urge pediatricians to screen specifically for their abuse during routine visits.

4 Feb 2011

UT Southwestern leads national effort to find effective treatments for drug addiction

UT Southwestern Medical Center psychiatry researchers are leading the Texas arm of a national network that conducts clinical trials aimed at finding effective treatments for drug addiction.

3 Feb 2011

Study establishes direct link between morphine abstinence and depressive-like symptoms

Opiate abuse is a chronic disorder and maintaining abstinence represents a major challenge for addicts.

1 Feb 2011

Ten states change their laws to require that mental health records be sent to NICS

In December 2005, Seung-Hui Cho was found to present "an imminent danger to himself as a result of mental illness" by a special judge. This should have barred him from owning a gun under federal law, 18 U.S.C. section 922(g), but, because his mental health records were never sent to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System, in March 2007 Cho was able to purchase the guns he used the following month to shoot and kill 32 people at Virginia Tech.

29 Jan 2011

King Pharmaceuticals awards payment to Pain Therapeutics for abuse-resistant medications

Pain Therapeutics, today announced that it had received a $5,000,000 milestone payment from King Pharmaceuticals, its exclusive commercial partner for abuse-resistant prescription pain medications.

29 Jan 2011

New insight on rehabilitating brain function in addicts

People with addictions to stimulants tend to choose instant gratification or a smaller but sooner reward over a future benefit, even if the future reward is greater. Reduced value of a future reward, called "delay discounting" by neuroscientists, is the major challenge for treatment of addiction. A new study in the February 2011 (Vol. 69, Issue 3) Biological Psychiatry appears to present a strategy for increasing the value of future rewards in the minds of addicts.

28 Jan 2011

New research: Retired NFL players more likely to misuse painkillers

Retired NFL players use painkillers at a much higher rate than the rest of us, according to new research conducted by investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

28 Jan 2011

Cognitive training may help end hijacking of imagination by drugs of abuse

The growing numbers of new cases of substance abuse disorders are perplexing. After all, the course of drug addiction so often ends badly. The negative consequences of drug abuse appear regularly on TV, from stories of celebrities behaving in socially inappropriate and self-destructive ways while intoxicated to dramatization of the rigors of drug withdrawal on "Intervention" and other reality shows.

28 Jan 2011

HIV drug used by drug abusers in a deadly concoction

In a sad and rather ironic situation in South Africa, where many are fighting a battle against HIV/AIDS with shortage of Anti-retrovital drugs, there is a new drug craze. South Africa has the world’s largest population of HIV infected citizens - nearly 6 million.

27 Jan 2011

New study reveals illicit HGH use among young American male weightlifters

A new study published in The American Journal on Addictions reveals that illicit use of HGH has become common among young American male weightlifters.

21 Jan 2011

Australia’s child abuse rates fall but foster care rates rise: Report

Statistics show that the total number of Tasmanian children in state care has risen by 60% in six years. This is the second highest number of children per 1,000 in child protection in the Australia. This means more children are being removed from their families for issues such as substance abuse, mental health and family violence.

20 Jan 2011

Pisgah to scale-up patent-pending form of hydrocodone

As Pisgah Laboratories, Inc. continues development of its lead abuse deterrent opioid product, it will soon begin scale-up of its patent-pending form of hydrocodone. Pisgah has developed a specialized salt form of hydrocodone which imparts abuse deterrent properties to a dosage product. Pisgah will manufacture its hydrocodone salt for clinical trials in their FDA / DEA registered facility.

19 Jan 2011

Only half of adolescents affected with severely impairing mental disorders receive treatment

A recent study by Merikangas and colleagues published in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) shows that only half of adolescents that are affected with severely impairing mental disorders ever receive treatment for their disorders.

19 Jan 2011

Researchers create biyouyanagin compound library

Using chemical compounds found in a Japanese plant as a lead and the clever application of ultraviolet light, a Scripps Research Institute team has created a unique library of dozens of synthetic compounds to test for biomedical potential. Already, one of the compounds has shown great promise in inhibiting replication of HIV particles and fighting inflammation.

19 Jan 2011

Time-lapse technique can show cellular-level changes within deep brain regions: Study

Changes within deep regions of the brain can now be visualized at the cellular level, based on research on mice, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Published Sunday in Nature Medicine, the study used a groundbreaking technique to explore cellular-level changes over a period of weeks within deep brain regions, providing a level of detail not possible with previously available methods.

19 Jan 2011

Study highlights lack of treatment for adolescents with severe mental disorders

A recent study by Merikangas and colleagues published in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry shows that only half of adolescents that are affected with severely impairing mental disorders ever receive treatment for their disorders.

19 Jan 2011

Australian drug survey reveals teenage drug use trends

According to the latest national drug survey, ‘2008 Australian Secondary Students Alcohol and Drug Survey’, more school students use the drug ecstasy, but fewer of them smoke. The report came out this Tuesday.

18 Jan 2011

Huge falloff in teens' recalled exposure to drug abuse prevention messages

The University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future study (MTF) – the largest survey on teen drug abuse tracking over 46,000 8th, 10th and 12th graders – found a huge falloff in teens' recalled exposure to drug abuse prevention messages over the past seven years. The new data from the MTF study have been released at a time when teens themselves report finding the drug-prevention messages to be effective.

13 Jan 2011

Drug Abuse News and Research

Study identifies genetic variation linked with increased risk of major depression

Scientists analyze relationship between drug abuse, recognition of basic emotions

Study finds increased prescription drug abuse among teens

UT Southwestern leads national effort to find effective treatments for drug addiction

Study establishes direct link between morphine abstinence and depressive-like symptoms

Ten states change their laws to require that mental health records be sent to NICS

King Pharmaceuticals awards payment to Pain Therapeutics for abuse-resistant medications

New insight on rehabilitating brain function in addicts

New research: Retired NFL players more likely to misuse painkillers

Cognitive training may help end hijacking of imagination by drugs of abuse

HIV drug used by drug abusers in a deadly concoction

New study reveals illicit HGH use among young American male weightlifters

Australia’s child abuse rates fall but foster care rates rise: Report

Pisgah to scale-up patent-pending form of hydrocodone

Only half of adolescents affected with severely impairing mental disorders receive treatment

Researchers create biyouyanagin compound library

Time-lapse technique can show cellular-level changes within deep brain regions: Study

Study highlights lack of treatment for adolescents with severe mental disorders

Australian drug survey reveals teenage drug use trends

Huge falloff in teens' recalled exposure to drug abuse prevention messages

Industry Focus eBook - Life Science Microscopy (2nd Edition) eBook

The Critical Role of Sample Storage in Drug Discovery and Development

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

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