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Studies offer leads for new approaches to treat neurological problems

Technological advances have ushered in a new era of discovery in neuroscience. The Experimental Biology 2018 meeting will feature an array of research findings on the brain and nervous system.

23 Apr 2018

Male fruit flies like sex and alcohol

Researchers at Bar-Ilan University in Israel have found that male fruit flies (Drosophilia melanogaster) enjoy ejaculation and sex and are also keen on alcohol consumption. The results of this novel study that shows that sexual gratification is preserved across species was published in the latest issue of the journal Current Biology this week.

19 Apr 2018

People who use medical marijuana have higher rates of prescription drug use, study finds

Can medical marijuana help to fight the opioid epidemic? Many believe that it can. But a new study finds that people who use medical marijuana actually have higher rates of medical and non-medical prescription drug use--including pain relievers.

18 Apr 2018

New automated text messaging service may help combat opioid epidemic

A new automated text messaging service may curb opioid abuse and reduce the likelihood of relapse while also decreasing treatment costs, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine and Epharmix, a St. Louis-based digital health company.

17 Apr 2018

Targeting opioid receptor offers relief for chronic itching

A common side effect of opioids is intense itching -- a problem for some patients who need the drugs for pain relief and for others fighting addiction.

17 Apr 2018

Post-surgical opioids can prolong pain for more than three weeks, study shows

Giving opioids to animals to quell pain after surgery prolongs pain for more than three weeks and primes specialized immune cells in the spinal cord to be more reactive to pain, according to a new study by the University of Colorado Boulder.

16 Apr 2018

The memory area of the brain may also yield vital clues about mental health illnesses

The hippocampus is an area of the brain commonly linked with memory and dementia. But new U of T Scarborough research finds that it may also yield important clues about a range of mental health illnesses including addiction, anxiety and depression.

16 Apr 2018

Scientists developing new vaccines against heroin and prescription opioids

Heroin and prescription opioid abuse and fatal overdoses are a public health emergency in the United States. Vaccines offer a potential new strategy to treat opioid abuse and prevent fatal opioid overdoses.

12 Apr 2018

Smartphone addiction leads to high levels of loneliness, depression and anxiety

Smartphones are an integral part of most people's lives, allowing us to stay connected and in-the-know at all times. The downside of that convenience is that many of us are also addicted to the constant pings, chimes, vibrations and other alerts from our devices, unable to ignore new emails, texts and images.

11 Apr 2018

Miniature injectable biosensor could offer continuous, long-term alcohol monitoring

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a miniature, ultra-low power injectable biosensor that could be used for continuous, long-term alcohol monitoring.

11 Apr 2018

Hypercaloric food intake promotes major behavioral and cognitive changes

Mice fed on a high fat or chocolate-based diet show abnormal feeding behaviors such as snacking, bingeing and disrupted eating patterns, according to new research from scientists at the Centre for Genomic Regulation and the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain.

9 Apr 2018

To treat pain, PTSD and other ills, Tennessee vets try tai chi

Every week in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Zibin Guo guides veterans in wheelchairs through slow-motion tai chi poses as a Bluetooth speaker plays soothing instrumental music.

6 Apr 2018

Human genome is like a time machine, says researcher

The human genome is a bit like a time machine, says Ben Voight, an associate professor in Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics and of Genetics in Penn's Perelman School of Medicine.

3 Apr 2018

Staying alive: How to fight an opioid addiction

If you or a loved one wants to beat an opioid addiction, first make sure you have a handy supply of naloxone, a medication that can reverse an overdose and save your life.

2 Apr 2018

Research explores internet addiction among adolescents and young people

The research is a joint effort by KFU, RUDN University, Russian State University of Physical Education, Sports, Youth and Tourism, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, and Irkutsk State University.

30 Mar 2018

New review explores potentially safer therapies for treating chronic abdominal pain

An estimated 2 million people in the U.S. are addicted to prescription opioids- powerful doctor-prescribed medications for chronic or severe pain. The drugs are commonly prescribed to treat gastrointestinal pain caused by conditions such as Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), raising the risk of addiction among this population.

29 Mar 2018

Omissions on death certificates lead to undercounting of opioid overdoses

In a refrigerator in the coroner’s office in Marion County, Ind., rows of vials await testing. They contain blood, urine and vitreous, the fluid collected from inside a human eye.

29 Mar 2018

Study uncovers more complex, elaborate role for the body’s macromolecular complexes

Scientists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program have uncovered evidence that shows a more complex and elaborate role for the body's hard-working G protein-coupled receptors than previously thought, suggesting a conceptual advance in the fields of biochemistry and pharmacology.

28 Mar 2018

How many opioid overdoses are suicides?

Mady Ohlman was 22 on the evening some years ago when she stood in a friend’s bathroom looking down at the sink.

28 Mar 2018

Economic and social conditions underlie geographic differences in drug-related deaths

Drug-related deaths have grown to be a major US public health problem over the past two decades. Between 2006 and 2015 there were more than 515,000 deaths from drug overdoses and other drug-related causes.

26 Mar 2018