Addiction News and Research

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Point/Counterpoint: Experts debate how to control exploding opioid epidemic

Two experts with opposing views squared off on the hotly debated topic of how best to control the exploding opioid epidemic in the U.S.- with increasing regulation of physician prescribing practices or by better educating patients and doctors.

12 Apr 2017

Researchers identify 26 novel genes linked to intellectual disability

Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Queen's University have identified 26 new genes linked to intellectual disability. Currently most patients with intellectual disability receive no molecular diagnosis, which significantly affects their health and shortens their lifespan.

11 Apr 2017

Researchers design first light-activated drug for treatment of pain

A team of the Institute of Neurosciences of the University of Barcelona has participated in the design of the first light-activated drug -the JF-NP-26, for the treatment of pain, according to a research with animal models published in the journal eLife.

11 Apr 2017

Study reveals that 25% of women with prenatal opioid addiction are not being treated

A new study by Queen's University researcher Susan Brogly (Surgery) has revealed that 25 per cent of women suffering from a prenatal opioid dependence were not being treated for their addiction.

5 Apr 2017

X-ray study sheds new light on promising drug target

Researchers hope to design a new generation of drugs against an array of deadly diseases. The task, however, is costly, arduous and often ineffective. One of the key challenges is understanding a particular class of proteins adorning cell surfaces, which are the targets of the majority of pharmaceutical drugs.

5 Apr 2017

Hebrew University announces launch of new Center for conducting research on cannabinoids

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has announced the launch of a Multidisciplinary Center on Cannabinoid Research.

5 Apr 2017

Oxytocin system may be key target for developing medications to treat opioid addiction

A new review of published research indicates that the oxytocin system—a key player in social reward and stress regulation—is profoundly affected by opioid use.

5 Apr 2017

Pharmaceuticalization of today’s sleep

The pharmaceuticalisation of sleep, put simply, refers to the ways in which sleep becomes a site for manipulation or augmentation through pharmaceutical use. There are different ways in which sleep can be pharmaceuticalised – for example we can use pharmaceuticals to induce sleep, to consolidate broken sleep, or to prevent or delay sleep.

4 Apr 2017

Noninvasive dTMS technique helps obese people lose weight by changing gut microbiota composition

A new study finds that a noninvasive electromagnetic brain stimulation technique helps obese people lose weight, partly by changing the composition of their intestinal bacteria—the so-called gut microbiota.

4 Apr 2017

Researchers find no connection between serotonin gene, stress and depression

New research findings often garner great attention. But when other scientists follow up and fail to replicate the findings? Not so much.

4 Apr 2017

RI International and BHL to introduce CrisisTech360 app at NATCON17

RI International CEO and President David Covington announced the launch of the CrisisTech360 app today, providing 24/7/365 real-time visibility of crisis bed availability and program data.

31 Mar 2017

TSRI scientists discover potential way to stop meth relapse

New research from The Scripps Research Institute suggests that the reason methamphetamine users find it so hard to quit—88 percent of them relapse, even after rehab—is that meth takes advantage of the brain's natural learning process.

31 Mar 2017

Employees can increase alcohol consumption to risky levels at time of retirement, study shows

Every tenth employee increases their alcohol consumption to risky levels at the time of retirement from full-time employment. However, the increase seems to be temporary as risky drinking often decreases during the retirement.

31 Mar 2017

Balance test can temporarily alleviate common symptom in schizophrenia patients

A common symptom of schizophrenia - not knowing that you're ill -- can be temporarily alleviated using a balance test that stimulates part of the brain with cold water, an exploratory study at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has shown.

30 Mar 2017

Cannabis use may impact treatment in women undergoing addiction therapy, study suggests

A new study suggests that the use of cannabis may impact treatment in women undergoing methadone treatment therapy.

30 Mar 2017

Cerebellar stimulation improves schizophrenia-like thinking problems in rats

"A beautiful, lobular structure," is how Krystal Parker describes the cerebellum - a brain region located at the base of the skull just above the spinal column.

28 Mar 2017

Research findings offer potential explanation for opioid-induced itching

Opioids have long been an important tool in the world of pain management, but the side effects of these drugs - from addiction and respiratory failure to severe itching and dizziness, can be overwhelming.

27 Mar 2017

Heroin use linked to epigenetic alterations in the brain

Heroin use is associated with excessive histone acetylation, an epigenetic process that regulates gene expression, and more years of drug use correlate with higher levels of hyperacetylation, according to research conducted at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

22 Mar 2017

'Cannibal drug' consumption in adolescence can increase vulnerability to cocaine use during adulthood

Consumption of the synthetic drug MDPV -a powerful psychostimulant known as 'cannibal drug'- in adolescence, can increase vulnerability of cocaine addiction during adulthood, according to a study carried out with laboratory animals and led by the researchers Elena Escubedo, from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences and the Institute of Biomedicine of the UB and Olga Valverde, head of the Neurobiology of Behaviour Research Group of Pompeu Fabra University.

22 Mar 2017

Study reveals link between tanning dependence and other addictive behaviors

Despite the known dangers of exposure to ultraviolet light, many people continue to sunbathe and use indoor tanning beds with some users exhibiting a dependence to tanning. A new study from the Yale School of Public Health finds that such dependence is also associated with other addictive behaviors.

21 Mar 2017