Addiction News and Research

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Cocaine vaccine to cure addiction undergoes clinical trials

Clinical trials on a cocaine vaccine are currently being conducted by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

2 Jan 2008

Variant of COMT gene linked to impulsive decisions

People with clinical addictions know first-hand the ravages the disease can take on almost every aspect of their lives.

28 Dec 2007

Brain imaging shows there may be a cognitive difference in people with addictions

Scientists have for the first time identified brain sites that fire up more when people make impulsive decisions.

28 Dec 2007

Tweaking a gene may fix Fragile X syndrome

According to new research clues to Fragile X syndrome may be connected to one single human gene.

20 Dec 2007

A genetic influence on alcohol addiction found - lack of endorphin

The research reveals that a subject's brain with low beta-endorphin levels becomes accustomed to the presence of an exogenous surplus, diminishing its own supply and triggering dependence on an external source--in this case, alcohol.

19 Dec 2007

Massage relieves pain after surgery and complements the use of drugs

Researchers in the U.S. have found that pain after surgery was eased by massage and they suggest it may complement the use of drugs.

19 Dec 2007

Brain malfunction explains dehydration in elderly

As Australia faces another hot, dry summer, scientists from Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute have warned that elderly people are at risk of becoming dehydrated because their brains underestimate how much water they need to drink to rehydrate.

17 Dec 2007

Tibetan meditation and post-traumatic stress disorder

Miami and Ohio State university researchers are using an ancient technique to address a modern problem.

17 Dec 2007

New studies on brain and behavior from the world's leading scientists

The 2007 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Annual Meeting will feature hundreds of new studies on brain and behavior from the world's leading scientists.

10 Dec 2007

Keeping at-risk cells from developing cancer

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered that cancers arising from epigenetic changes - in this case the inappropriate activation of a normally silent gene - develop by becoming addicted to certain growth factors.

10 Dec 2007

Nicotine has significant effects on brain GABA

There is a clear link between GABA - a chemical substance of the central nervous system that inhibits neurons in the brain - and nicotine dependence, according to a study presented at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) annual meeting.

10 Dec 2007

Discovery of potential "getting drunk" gene

A variant of a gene involved in communication among brain cells has a direct influence on alcohol consumption in mice, according to a new study by scientists supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the U.S. Army.

5 Dec 2007